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Trump administration officials are once again exploring the possibility of selling portions of the federal government’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio, held by about 45 million borrowers, according to recent reporting by Politico.

Federal law dictates that such a sale cannot cost taxpayers any money. But, as Eileen Connor, executive director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending, told Politico, executing a deal that benefits both taxpayers and borrowers is nearly impossible. The federal government enjoys extraordinary powers of collection that private lenders do not — such as garnishing tax refunds, disability benefits, and Social Security payments. Absent those collection methods, private lenders make money through higher interest rates and longer repayment plans.

Mike Pierce, executive director of Protect Borrowers, puts it bluntly: “President Trump and Secretary [Linda] McMahon are hell-bent on squeezing every last dollar out of families with debt.” Daniel Zibel of the National Student Legal Defense Network adds that such a sale could foreclose any future possibilities for debt cancellation. In short: privatization means less protection, more suffering, and fewer paths to relief.

“President Trump and Secretary........

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