, meaning the pause cannot be extended again this year in connection with COVID-19.
Rep. Virginia Foxx and Sen. Bill Cassidy, top Republicans on the House and Senate education committees, respectively, sent ato Cardona on Tuesday requesting"tangible proof" on how, exactly, he plans to ensure a smooth transition to repayment for millions of borrowers after an over three-year pause. "We write today because we are concerned that you are ill prepared to return millions of student loan borrowers to repayment," Foxx and Cassidy wrote.
"Mr. Secretary, the success or failure of the return to repayment sits squarely on your shoulders," they added."As the committees responsible for oversight of the Department, we need to know if the Department has exercised due diligence and done all it can to prepare the servicers to provide the best customer service to borrowers, and that borrowers have a clear understanding of what is required of them for a smooth transition to repayment.
Foxx and Cassidy requested that within two weeks, Cardona provide"any and all" internal memos on the strategy for the department's return to repayment, along with an in-person briefing on the plan no later than July 20. The lawmakers also asked that Cardona counter efforts