Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has introduced a bill to prevent seniors from having their Social Security checks garnished to repay decades-old federal student loans.
Details on Sanders’ proposal and what he said about the new bill
Sanders announced the proposal on Monday and plans to formally introduce the Stop Social Security Garnishment Act to the Senate after lawmakers return to session next month, according to a news release, and a spokesperson for the senator told CNBC.
The legislation is also backed by Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, both from Massachusetts.
Sanders, who sits on several Senate committees, has often spoken out about how student loan debt has affected millions of people in the United States. His proposal for the Stop Social Security Garnishment Act responds to President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included repayment plan overhauls, borrowing limits, and forgiveness changes.
“As a result of Trump’s disastrous cuts to education, an increasing number of seniors are in danger of having their Social Security checks garnished to pay back student loans they took out decades ago. That is beyond unacceptable,” Sanders said in a news release statement.
How many people in the U.S. have student loan debt?
More than 9.5 million borrowers are in default on their student loans, according to an Associated Press analysis through March.
Nearly 1 in 4 student loan borrowers cannot pay back their loans and are at risk of having their wages or Social Security payments seized, Sanders said in his announcement.
The Trump administration announced in June 2025 that it would not cut Social Security benefits for affected borrowers, reversing course after it had previously announced plans to resume collection activity following the Covid-era policies that had protected borrowers who fell behind.
Sanders on the proposal: ‘Congress must pass this legislation’
In January, Blavity reported that borrowers received a temporary reprieve from having their wages garnished to repay their federal student loans.
The Education Department walked back its initial plan to aggressively pursue student loan repayment as the administration worked on launching new repayment plans, which became available on July 1.
The Stop Social Security Garnishment Act will protect senior borrowers and those with disabilities from having their benefit checks cut due to student loan debt.
“In the richest country in the history of the world, no senior should have their Social Security payments taken away from them to pay back student debt. This is especially true when seniors throughout the country already cannot afford the skyrocketing price of healthcare, prescription drugs, groceries and housing. Congress must pass this legislation,” Sanders said.