Attorney General Bonta: Trump Administration Drops Appeal in Public Service Loan Forgiveness Case
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement on October 22 after the Trump Administration dropped its appeal of a court decision vacating a U.S. Department of Education rule on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), the Attorney General's office said.
The rule would have allowed the Administration to strip PSLF eligibility from employees of government and nonprofit organizations it deems to have a "substantial illegal purpose," the statement said. PSLF is the federal program that forgives the remaining federal student loans of borrowers who work in public service and make 10 years of qualifying payments.
As part of a coalition of 22 attorneys general, Bonta sued the Trump Administration over the rule in November 2025 and secured a decision from the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacating it in June 2026, the statement said. By dropping its appeal, the Administration leaves the District Court's ruling in place, resolving the matter in favor of California and the plaintiff states.
"Our educators, healthcare workers, and first responders choose public service because they love their communities and want to make a difference," Bonta said in the statement. "The Trump Administration tried and failed to turn a bipartisan promise into a political weapon."
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Sacramento 的加利福尼亚州议会大厦（资料图），经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: The California State Capitol in Sacramento (file photo), via Wikimedia Commons.
