federal student loans

the-treasury-building-in-washington-dc-this-public-building-163515567-stockpack-adobestock
The Treasury Building in Washington D.C. This public building is a National Historic Landmark and the headquarters of the US Department of the Treasury
Image Credit: mandritoiu - Adobe Stock
Keri D. Ingraham
April 7, 2026
Education Policy, Higher Education
5

Trump Administration Taps Treasury to Fix Student Loan Failures

Keri D. Ingraham
April 7, 2026
Education Policy, Higher Education
5

For decades, the Department of Education has operated the federal student loan system on autopilot, continually expanding its size, complexity, and cost. The result is a $1.7 trillion portfolio — nearly twice the size of all university endowments combined and larger than JPMorgan Chase’s loan portfolio, the nation’s largest bank — yet it operates without the financial expertise, transparency, or accountability a system of this scale requires. The Department of Education reports that fewer than 40 percent of borrowers are in repayment, and nearly a quarter of borrowers are in default. While not designed to function as a bank, the Department of Education has been managing what is effectively the fifth-largest financial institution in the United States. A course correction Read More ›

in-the-dark-on-broken-money-is-a-roll-of-dollars-lit-by-a-ra-228956630-stockpack-adobestock
In the dark on broken money is a roll of dollars lit by a ray of light.
Photo by andreyphoto63 on Adobe Stock
Keri D. Ingraham
April 18, 2025
Education Policy, Higher Education
2

Federal Student Loans Are Moving from the U.S. Department of Education to Small Business Administration

Keri D. Ingraham
April 18, 2025
Education Policy, Higher Education
2
It is a commonsense decision to have the Small Business Administration’s financial experts — who already manage a massive number of small loans every day — oversee the approximate $1.6 trillion of loans for 43 million borrowers instead of education policy personnel. Read More ›