Education

Student loan forgiveness

91 public statements from 2026 candidates · 1 related bill

§1The range of views

Why this matters: This affects the monthly budgets of people repaying student loans, and taxpayers bear the cost of any loans that are canceled.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether the federal government should cancel some or all of what people owe on federal student loans.

  1. Narrow or end existing forgiveness programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness
  2. Keep current forgiveness programs, with no new cancellation
  3. Add targeted relief, such as more forgiveness for public service workers or through income-based repayment
  4. Broad cancellation of student debt

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Add targeted relief, such as more forgiveness for public service workers or through income-based repayment (37)

  • Amanda N. Pusczek AL-4
    Her campaign website says she would offer up to $60,000 a year for up to five years in federal loan forgiveness to doctors, nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives and physician assistants who work in rural areas short of health care providers.1
  • Mike McGuire CA-1
    His campaign's rural plan says he would expand loan forgiveness and other incentives for doctors, dentists, behavioral health workers and other providers who commit to practicing in rural communities, and expand loan forgiveness for teachers who commit to rural and underserved schools.2
  • John Garamendi CA-8
    His campaign website says he supports faster student loan forgiveness for primary care doctors who work in community clinics and underserved areas, and that his Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculating Act would lower student loan interest rates for all borrowers.3
  • Scott Wiener CA-11
    His campaign website says he would strengthen Public Service Loan Forgiveness to help keep teachers in the profession.4
  • Mike Levin CA-49
    His campaign website says he authored legislation to expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness to graduates who work at veteran service organizations, supports improving loan forgiveness for those who need it most, and backs setting federal student loan interest at zero.5,6
  • Jason Crow CO-6
    His campaign website says he supported legislation to let people refinance and consolidate student loans, lower education costs and forgive loans for people who work in public service careers.7
  • Brittany Pettersen CO-7
    Her campaign website supports loan forgiveness programs for people who work in fields of need such as education and health care, and says the federal government should not make a profit on student loans.8
  • Joe Courtney CT-2
    His campaign website says he is pushing to eliminate interest on federal student loans, let student debt be refinanced and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and that he wrote a bill to extend that program's debt relief to young farmers.9,10
  • Amanda Marie Green FL-2
    Her campaign website says she supports forgiving student loans for borrowers who have paid more in interest than the amount of their loan and for people in key professions such as teaching and nursing.11
  • Mike Sell FL-4
    His campaign's platform calls for canceling predatory for-profit student loan contracts and supports the LOAN Act, which it says would double the Pell Grant, fix Public Service Loan Forgiveness and cut student loan interest.12
  • Kedner Maxime FL-20
    His campaign website says he will work to give teachers, nurses and public-service workers targeted relief from student debt.13
  • Oliver G. Gilbert III FL-24
    His campaign website says his BUILD Act would broaden and update loan forgiveness for public service professionals, including teachers, nurses, first responders, military personnel and public defenders.14
  • Jonathan Chavez GA-13
    His platform says he would work to expand loan forgiveness for health care workers who serve in underserved communities.15
  • Dave Dawson IA-4
    His campaign website says he will work to expand the supply of health care providers in rural Iowa through loan forgiveness for doctors, nurses and mental health professionals who serve in those communities.16
  • Christian Maxwell IL-1
    Her student loan plan says she would cap monthly payments at 5% of discretionary income and forgive remaining balances after 20 years of payments, forgive loans held for 20 or more years, and erase the interest accrued after 12 consecutive on-time payments.17,18
  • Bill Foster IL-11
    His campaign website lists introducing the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Inclusion Act to assist people who forgo potentially lucrative careers to serve the public good.19
  • Nikki Budzinski IL-13
    Her campaign website says she introduced a bipartisan bill to make farm and ranch workers eligible for public service student loan forgiveness.20
  • Whitfield Harrington Jr IL Senate
    His campaign website says he would forgive the student loans of doctors who open Direct Primary Care clinics right out of school and of rural doctors, and provide grants and loans to help such clinics open and stay open.21
  • Sharice L. Davids KS-3
    Her campaign website says she worked to improve the public service loan forgiveness program for teachers, firefighters and public servants.22
  • Charles Booker KY Senate
    His campaign website says he would refinance high-interest student loans at lower rates, cancel student debt for people in public service and cap interest rates on future loans.23
  • Lauren Jewett LA-1
    Her campaign website says she will protect and strengthen Public Service Loan Forgiveness for jobs like teachers, nurses, social workers and first responders, and oppose taxing forgiven student debt as income.24
  • Tia LeBrun LA-3
    Her campaign website's Policy Plans page lists student loan reform and repayment assistance for public service workers among its higher education goals.25
  • Caleb "With a C" Walker LA-3
    His campaign website says he will provide student-loan forgiveness for healthcare workers who serve Louisiana families.26
  • "Matt" Gromlich LA-4
    His campaign website says he supports Congressman Cleo Fields' proposal to forgive undergraduate student loans for public-school teachers who complete eight consecutive years in the classroom.27
  • Gordon Heslop LA-4
    His campaign website says that where rural health care providers have trouble hiring qualified staff, a new hire's student loans, including interest, should be frozen, with half of the debt written off after 5 years of service and the remainder after 10 years.28
  • Lindsay "Rubia" Garcia LA-6
    Her campaign website's Issues page says she will fight for student loan forgiveness for educators in high-need districts, along with federal investment in teacher recruitment.29
  • Stephen F. Lynch MA-8
    His campaign website says he has co-sponsored legislation to revise student loan repayments with an income-based plan and to expand public service loan forgiveness.30
  • Christian Vukasovich MI-5
    His campaign website says he supports recruitment grants, student loan forgiveness, fair wages and training for nurses, doctors, first responders and other health care workers, especially in rural communities.31
  • Christina Bertrand Hines MI-10
    Her education topic page says she would expand loan forgiveness for educators in high-need areas.32
  • Peggy Flanagan MN Senate
    Her campaign website says she supports more tuition support and loan forgiveness for people in public service jobs such as teaching and health care.33
  • Matt Little MN-2
    His campaign website says he would fight for the Affordable Loans for Students Act, which it says would cap student loans at 2%, for forgiveness for people in public service after ten years, and for forgiveness of all loans after twenty years.34
  • DeVelle L. Jackson MN-5
    It says he supports student debt relief, including service-based options, and a federal Civic Service Credit under which verified unpaid service could be rewarded with a tax credit or help with student debt.35
  • Jordan Herrera MO-4
    His campaign website lists expanding and fixing Public Service Loan Forgiveness and full forgiveness for borrowers who have paid in good faith for 20 or more years, along with capping interest rates and limiting income-based repayment to 10% of income.36
  • Richard N. Ojeda II NC-9
    His campaign website's Protecting Education page says he would expand loan forgiveness for public servants, strengthen financial aid and crack down on predatory lending.37
  • Mark Cohen NE-3
    His campaign website says Congress should forgive federal student loans for teachers who agree to work five years in rural districts, and says he believes student loan debt should be dischargeable in bankruptcy like consumer or medical debt.38
  • Chris Pappas NH Senate
    His campaign website says he supports debt forgiveness for students who go into high-demand careers such as nursing, along with wider access to Pell grants and affordable community college.39
  • Rachel Peace NJ-4
    Her campaign website says she supports legislation to reverse recent federal changes that reduced student eligibility for loans, encourages Congress to support loan forgiveness, and supports a cap on student loan interest rates and expanding forgiveness programs such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness.40

Broad cancellation of student debt (26)

  • Mai Vang CA-7
    Her campaign website calls for canceling student debt and says she will push for student debt forgiveness and oppose efforts to roll back debt relief.41,42
  • Aisha Wahab CA-14
    Her campaign website says she would cancel student debt and stop predatory student lending.43
  • Ro Khanna CA-17
    His campaign website says he would cancel up to $50,000 in student loan debt for working- and middle-class Americans.44
  • Angélica María Dueñas CA-29
    Her campaign website calls for canceling student debt, with the Federal Reserve buying back outstanding student loans and writing them off.45,46
  • Jimmy Gomez CA-34
    His campaign website says he is a strong advocate for canceling student debt, and that he passed a law making student loan forgiveness tax-free and has introduced a bill to make that permanent.47
  • Angela Gonzales-Torres CA-34
    Her campaign website calls for canceling up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower, particularly for low- and middle-income borrowers.48
  • Robert Garcia CA-42
    His campaign website says he is fighting to cancel student debt across the country.49
  • Angie Nixon FL Senate special
    Her campaign website says she supports canceling student debt.50
  • Nikema Williams GA-5
    An earlier issues page still on her campaign website says she will support all measures that lower or eliminate student debt in the country.51
  • Delia Ramirez IL-3
    Her campaign website says she is a champion for canceling student loan debt.52
  • Daniel Biss IL-9
    His campaign website says Congress should pass legislation forgiving student loan debt for the vast majority of borrowers, and that he will champion loan forgiveness programs for students who enter public service careers.53
  • Kelly Thompson IN-3
    Her campaign website says her plan would cancel existing federal student loan debt.54
  • Mikel Wein KY-5
    His campaign website says it is time to end student loan debt and lists supporting legislation to end student loan debt among its longer-term actions.55
  • Ayanna S. Pressley MA-7
    Her campaign website says she has spent years pressing for student debt cancellation, and its home page lists student loan cancellation among the issues on which progress has been made.56,57
  • LaVeta Davenport MI-1
    The Green Party of Michigan 2026 platform text on her campaign website, which says she fully aligns with it, calls for forgiving all student loans.58,59
  • Charlotte Magoon MI-2
    Her campaign website says she supports canceling student debt, which it describes as a burden holding families back for generations.60
  • Rashida Tlaib MI-12
    Her campaign website says she calls for cancellation of federal student loan debt, and is pushing to cancel medical and utility debt as well.61
  • Donavan McKinney MI-13
    His campaign website says all existing student loan debt should be canceled.62
  • Ilhan Omar MN-5
    It also calls for canceling all existing student debt, through her Student Debt Cancellation Act.63
  • Valerie P. Foushee NC-4
    Her campaign website says she favors cancelling existing student loan debt.64
  • Alma S. Adams NC-12
    Her campaign website says she will keep working to cancel student debt for borrowers, past and present, who have trouble repaying it, and lists a resolution she introduced with Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren and Ayanna Pressley that urges the president to cancel $50,000 in student loan debt for each American.65
  • Analilia Mejia NJ-11
    Her campaign issues page says she wants to cancel all student loan debt.66
  • Adam Hamawy NJ-12
    His campaign website says it is time to cancel student debt.67
  • Andres Jinete NJ-12
    His campaign website calls for the government to buy and forgive all student debt.68,69
  • Winston Jordan NJ-12
    His policy platform website lists cancelling all existing student loan debt, which it describes as restitution for decades of reduced public funding of higher education.70
  • Greg Levy OH Senate special
    His campaign website calls for canceling all student debt.71

Statements that don't match one option (28)

  • Richard Pan CA-6
    His campaign website says he would prioritize relief for people with educational debt.72
  • Doris Matsui CA-7
    An earlier issues page still on her campaign website says she supported the Biden administration's actions on student debt and cosponsored bills to write the SAVE income-based repayment plan into law and to double Pell Grant awards.73
  • Salud Carbajal CA-24
    His campaign website says he urged President Biden to cancel student debt for struggling borrowers, and it supports lower interest rates on federal student loans and letting borrowers refinance.74
  • Samantha Mota CA-37
    Her campaign website calls for partial student loan forgiveness and limits on student loan borrowing.75
  • Michael Ted Goldstein CT-4
    His campaign website proposes forgiving up to $25,000 in student debt for graduates of Connecticut colleges who work in the state for five years.76
  • Kimberly Overman FL-12
    Her campaign platform says she supports student debt relief, Pell Grants and affordable community college.77
  • Mark Davis FL-16
    His policy platform says he would create meaningful student-debt forgiveness and restructuring.78
  • Amanda Hollowell GA-1
    Her 10 Point Affordability Agenda lists reducing student loan debt and extending opportunity.79
  • Maura Keller GA-3
    Her campaign website says she is committed to student loan relief.80
  • Lucy McBath GA-6
    Her campaign website says she has made lowering student debt a priority.81
  • Jill N. Tokuda HI-2
    Her campaign website says she supports making higher education more affordable, including relief from student loan debt.82
  • Patty Garcia IL-4
    Her campaign website lists expanded Pell Grants and student debt relief among the ways she would make college more affordable.83
  • Troy A. Carter Sr. LA-2
    His campaign website says he will advocate for the reduction or elimination of student loan debt.84
  • John Deaton MA Senate
    His campaign website says he would end compound interest on student loans, ease their treatment in bankruptcy, make colleges share the risk of defaults and offer repayment of 3% to 5% of income, with nothing owed in months without work.85
  • Dan Schwartz MD-1
    His campaign website says he would offer tax credits and student debt relief to draw health care providers to live and work in the 1st District.86
  • Adrian Boafo MD-5
    His campaign website says he would bring back and widen student loan forgiveness and protect income-driven repayment plans.87
  • Bennie Foster MS-2
    His campaign website says he supports keeping FAFSA funding and looking for other ways to address college costs, including more flexible student loan terms and opportunities for forgiveness.88
  • Carl Boyanton MS-4
    His campaign website says blanket student loan forgiveness is not the answer, and it calls for clearer income-based repayment plans and for connecting federal aid more tightly to results such as graduation rates.89
  • Michael D Eisenhauer MT-2
    His Voter Contract and Issues pages say he does not support blanket student loan forgiveness.90,91
  • Jack Codiga NC-12
    His platform page says the government should stop guaranteeing student loans and that borrowers should be able to declare bankruptcy on student debt under existing law.92
  • Lakesha Womack NC-14
    Her issues page says she supports affordable higher education and relief for student debt.93
  • Chuck Conboy NE Senate
    His campaign website says the student debt holding young Americans back should be ended and higher education made affordable and accessible to every American.94
  • Ryan Michael Kelly NJ-3
    His campaign website says he supports student loan forgiveness, with a particular focus on people who work in public service, education, health care and nonprofits, and lists strengthening federal forgiveness programs, including public service pathways, among his priorities.95
  • Rob Menendez NJ-8
    Its child care and education page lists lowering interest rates on student loans and expanding loan forgiveness programs among his goals and says he cosponsored the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act and the College for All Act; its affordability page lists addressing the student debt crisis.96,97
  • LaMonica R. McIver NJ-10
    Her campaign page on education says she supports measures to lower the cost of college, remove the burden of college debt, expand financial aid and widen access to vocational and technical training programs.98
  • Joe Hathaway NJ-11
    His campaign platform says he supports capping federal student loan interest rates as an alternative to mass debt forgiveness.99
  • Teresa Leger Fernandez NM-3
    Her campaign website says she supports reducing student debt, which it says holds back many young people and the economy.100
  • Catherine Barcel "Barcy" Whitson TN Senate
    Her campaign website says she would look for ways to pay off student debt so borrowers can build wealth.101

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.