"Reports of President Donald Trump’s plans to defund or abolish the U.S. Department of Education have prompted questions about the department’s role in America," Yahoo News reports.

..."But a dismantled or diminished Department of Education 'seemingly threatens the strength' of investigations of civil rights complaints or harassment in schools, the News Journal reported.

Karen McCarthy, the vice president of public policy and federal relations at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, told USA TODAY that moving the nearly $2 trillion in federal student loans the department oversees—a figure on par with some of the biggest banks—to a different agency such as the Treasury Department, which Republicans have proposed, would be no small feat.

'Nobody could really imagine that Chase could fold into Citibank quickly or easily,' she said. 'I don't know why people are thinking that the federal student loan portfolio could easily move.'"

NASFAA's "Notable Headlines" section highlights media coverage of financial aid to help members stay up to date with the latest news. Articles included under the notable headlines section are not written by NASFAA, but rather by external sources. Inclusion in Today's News does not imply endorsement of the material or guarantee the accuracy of information presented.

Publication Date: 2/13/2025