SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – The US Department of Education is headed toward some major changes as the Trump Administration proceeds with it’s plan to dismantle the agency.
In March, the President signed an executive order to return the power over education to the states. Trump also announced the Small Business Association will take over the responsibility of handling the federal student loan programs.
“We have a portfolio that’s very large, lots of loans, uh, tens of thousands of loans, pretty complicated deal,” President Donald Trump said in March. “And that’s coming out of the Department of Education immediately and it’s gonna be headed up by Kelly Loeffler SBA and they’re all set for it. They’re waiting for it and it’ll be serviced much better than it has in the past. It’s been a mess.”
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Some experts have warned this order could throw student loans into disarray and lead to frustration for borrowers. In this Your Money Matters, we sit down with a financial advisor to find out what borrowers should know amid the confusion.
Lutheran Social Services in Sioux Falls offers a variety of resources for people in the community. There’s even a Center for Financial Resources, and program director Sara Ramirez says one of the things they counsel people on is student loans.
“It’s gotten trickier over probably the past five years to navigate with all the options that have come out, so just helping individuals look at their individual loans and what options they have specifically,” Ramirez said.
Ramirez says anytime there’s a shift or change in systems there’s potential for errors in data transfer. So, she recommends people keep track of their student loans.
“Keep track of your payment history, proof of payments, your bank statements, things that show that you made your payments,” Ramirez said. “There’s also, on the student loan website, there’s a place where you can download your data file that gives you a whole list of all your federal student loans, all the details and statuses and stuff like that.”
One thing borrowers might be considering right now is refinancing their federal loans into a private entity.
“We always caution people to really weigh the pros and cons when they look at that because you’re moving your then federal student loans to private, meaning you’re going to permanently lose any federal benefits that you may have. I know those are kind of questionable right now but by refinancing you’re going to lose them,” Ramirez said.
She says people who need some help navigating the student loan confusion can seek help at LSS.
“For us as consumers, it’s taking care of what is in front of you and what you’ve got and what you’ve got control over,” Ramirez said
Something else that’s been up in the air for some borrowers is the Saving on a Valuable Education Plan and parts of other income-driven repayment plans after a federal court issued an injunction preventing the Department of Education from implementing them.
However, as of March 26, the online applications for some income-driven repayment plans have become available again, as well as the online loan consolidation application. The Department of Education is also currently reviewing an executive order that would alter the public service loan forgiveness program.
