To: President Donald Trump

Issue an Executive Order to Provide Immediate Relief for those Crippled by Federal Student Loan Debt

We urge you to provide us with immediate relief from the $1.2 trillion student loan debt crisis, which our Congress has repeatedly neglected to address. We find ourselves faced with staggering monthly payments--even under the new income-based repayment plan, for many of us left college with bachelor's and master's degrees, only to find ourselves unemployed or in low-paying positions. We have given up hope of being able to pursue our dreams of a higher degree, obtain a mortgage loan, start a business, or have the things so many others have obtained for themselves. We urge you in earnest to do what you promised in your 2008 campaign and provide us with hope and change with regard to our federal student loans. Issue an executive order, providing for these federal subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans to be forgiven. We want a fresh start. We want the American dream.

Why is this important?

With student loan debt exceeding $1.2 trillion, more and more students find
themselves graduating college with six-figure student loan debts--often either unable
to find employment or only able to find low-wage jobs. Since 1982, student loan debt
has grown at a rate twice that of healthcare debt--400%, compared to healthcare's
200%. Yet, healthcare debt can be discharged in bankruptcy, whereas student loan
debt cannot under federal law. Many students enter and exit college with minimal or
no student loan counseling, failing to receive any or adequate explanation of their
financial responsibilities. Even with the Obama Administration's new student loan
provisions, such as income-based repayment, millions of students find themselves
unable to afford payments and are forced to keep their loans in forbearance, where
they continue to accrue interest.

Immediate loan forgiveness for all student loan borrowers would provide instant
stimulus to the economy, creating job growth, reducing dependence on federal
welfare programs, and providing a greater incentive for the nation's students to
achieve academically. Currently, graduates find themselves unable to afford a
mortgage, unable to start a family, and unable to return to school for a higher degree
because of burdensome loan obligations, which they will never be able to repay.

Respectfully, we urge the President to take immediate action for millions of Americans
and protect them where Congress has failed for years to do so: Issue an
Executive Order, providing for immediate loan forgiveness for the nation, so we may
enjoy the American promise made by Thomas Jefferson--life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness. We refuse to remain slaves to the student lending crisis.