Tweet - "Constituents that speak up and the intrepid local journalists that report on them MATTER. Here's a story about how we're changing lives for thousands of borrowers because of one woman's advocacy:"
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"Constituents that speak up and the intrepid local journalists that report on them MATTER. Here's a story about how we're changing lives for thousands of borrowers because of one woman's advocacy:
Several years ago, a Virginian named Sara contacted me because she was stuck in a consolidated student loan. Even though she had taken out no loans, she was responsible for her ex-spouse's because he refused to pay. Her credit suffered and there was no way to sever.
After this issue came to light, we found out that thousands of other borrowers were trapped in these same consolidated spousal loans. Some were trapped in domestic or financial abuse. Other remained married but were completely left out of loan relief programs like PSLF.
I told the story of Sara and of several other impacted borrowers on the Senate floor a few weeks ago -- you can watch that here.
So for years I worked on getting a law passed to help her and thousands of other borrowers out. This year, it passed the Senate unanimously and the House on a bipartisan basis. It just awaits the President's signature.
Several incredible journalists have been following this story for years -- including
@WUSA9, which worked to bring this to my attention originally.
Others, including @brokenimageheap, @sequoiastweets, and @DaniDougPost have also done incredible coverage of this story and told the stories of many, many borrowers.
We're right on the cusp of getting this done, so I called several folks -- including Sara, the original constituent who brought this to my attention -- to hear about what this means to them.
After years of work, the advocacy of countless borrowers, a great bipartisan coalition, and some great press coverage, we're so close to finally getting justice for impacted borrowers. I am looking forward to @POTUS signing this into law and securing relief ASAP."
@MarkWarner
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