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More Than 130 Organizations Across Pro-Democracy Community Support Challenge to Trump-Vance Administration Attack on Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 2026

Original press release issued by the Democracy Forward Foundation and can be found on their website here.

CONTACT
Democracy Forward Foundation
press@democracyforward.org

Eric W. Hughes
Director of Communications
Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
(973) 233-5724
ehughes@vljnj.org  

More Than 130 Organizations Across Pro-Democracy Community Support Challenge to Trump-Vance Administration Attack on Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

Friend of the Court Briefs Bolster Suit Seeking to Stop Trump-Vance Administration from Weaponizing Public Service Loan Forgiveness to Silence Critics and Stifle Dissent

Washington, D.C. – A large and diverse series of more than 130 organizations – legal experts, civil rights, legal aid, and LGBTQ+ organizations, environmental leaders and local governments – have submitted friend of the court briefs in National Council of Nonprofits v. McMahon, a challenge brought by cities, workers, and civil society organizations to the Trump-Vance administration’s weaponization of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program in an unlawful attempt to silence critics and stifle dissent. 

The case was brought last November against the U.S. Department of Education (ED), charging the Trump-Vance administration with unlawfully interfering with the PSLF program to silence governments and non-profit organizations that do work the administration doesn’t like. The administration’s new PSLF rule breaks a decades-old bipartisan congressional promise to support those who choose to dedicate their careers to public service.

The briefs include submissions from: 

Plaintiffs include City of Albuquerque, City of Boston, City of Chicago, City and County of San Francisco, County of Santa Clara, Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Legal Aid DC, National Association of Social Workers, National Council of Nonprofits, Oasis Legal Services, AFT, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and National Education Association. The coalition is represented by Democracy Forward and Protect Borrowers in this matter; the County of Santa Clara and City and County of San Francisco represent themselves.

“This case represents an incredibly broad group of entities in support of the public service sector. Having such an impressive and large coalition join us in the fight, and share how important the PSLF program is to them, demonstrates how enormously disruptive and harmful the Trump-Vance effort to weaponize this program truly is,” said Sarah Goetz, Senior Counsel at Democracy Forward. “Democracy Forward is honored to be in solidarity with these organizations as we work to fight back against this unlawful assault on the public service sector.”

Read more about National Council of Nonprofits et al. v. McMahon, here.

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About Democracy Forward Foundation
Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.  

About Volunteer Lawyers for Justice (VLJ)
VLJ is an award-winning, comprehensive nonprofit legal services program based in Newark, NJ, with a statewide reach. VLJ's mission is to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty. The Newark-based organization ensures fair access to the legal system through partnerships with corporations and hundreds of volunteer attorneys. In 2025, VLJ’s work impacted nearly 4,900 people—including 1,800 children—and its volunteer attorneys donated $1.5 million in free legal services. Connect with VLJ on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.