教育部撤回两宗公共服务贷款减免规则上诉：被法院撤销的雇主资格新规不再推进
据美联社报道，美国司法部于10月21日向法院提交联合协议，撤回针对公共服务贷款减免（Public Service Loan Forgiveness，PSLF）雇主资格新规的两宗上诉，协议为一句话文本，并约定双方各自承担诉讼费用。这一撤回使两宗撤销该新规的联邦法院判决维持有效。联邦官员没有说明撤回上诉的原因。
这项新规由美国教育部（ED）于2025年10月定稿，原定2026年7月1日生效，内容是授权教育部长 Linda McMahon 在认定某雇主从事「具有实质非法目的」活动时，将该雇主排除出 PSLF 计划。PSLF 计划面向政府部门、公立学校、消防与警察部门、公立医院及非营利机构的雇员，符合条件者在按期偿还学生贷款10年后可免除剩余债务，该计划至今已为超过100万名美国人免除贷款。
2026年6月，位于 Massachusetts 的联邦地区法官 Myong Joun 与位于华盛顿的联邦地区法官 Amir Ali 在同一天分别裁定撤销这项新规，认为教育部的做法超出了其法定权限，并可能威胁美国宪法第一修正案保障的言论自由。相关诉讼由20多个州以及一批非营利组织与城市组成的联盟提起，其中华盛顿一案的原告包括 RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights 等机构。
原告方组织 Public Citizen 表示，这项新规一度可能波及多达250万名联邦学生贷款借款人的 PSLF 资格。随着两宗上诉撤回，现行 PSLF 资格规则保持不变，正在还款的借款人无须采取新的行动。据 The College Investor 报道，由22个州与华盛顿特区提起的另一宗同类案件的上诉截至10月21日尚未撤回，该案政府方的首份上诉状定于11月4日提交。
学生权益组织 Student Defense 的律师 Dan Zibel 在书面声明中表示，撤回上诉「对数百万投身公共服务的美国人来说是一次重大胜利」。Public Citizen 诉讼组的原告首席律师 Cormac Early 表示，非营利与公共服务工作者现在可以继续工作，不必再担心因此受到影响。教育部与司法部未就撤回上诉作进一步说明。
Education Department Drops Two Appeals Over Loan Forgiveness Rule: Court-Vacated Employer Rule Will Not Be Revived
The U.S. Department of Justice on October 21 filed joint stipulations dropping two appeals over new employer-eligibility rules for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, according to the Associated Press. The dismissals were set out in single-sentence agreements under which each side pays its own fees, leaving in place two federal court rulings that vacated the rule. Federal officials provided no explanation for the move.
The rule, finalized by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in October 2025 and set to take effect on July 1, 2026, would have empowered Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to remove employers from the PSLF program if she decided their work had a "substantial illegal purpose." The program forgives the student loans of employees of government agencies, public schools, fire and police departments, public hospitals and nonprofits after a decade of qualifying payments, and it has canceled loans for more than 1 million Americans.
In June 2026, U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Massachusetts and U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington ruled on the same day to vacate the Education Department's changes, saying the agency had overstepped its authority and that the rule threatened First Amendment free-speech protections. The lawsuits had been filed by more than 20 states and by a coalition of nonprofit organizations and cities; the Washington case was brought by groups including the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights.
Public Citizen, one of the plaintiff organizations, said the rule had threatened to disqualify as many as 2.5 million federal student loan borrowers from the program. With the two appeals dropped, the program's existing eligibility rules remain in force and borrowers working toward forgiveness do not need to take any new steps. A third appeal, in a companion case brought by 22 states and Washington, D.C., had not been withdrawn as of October 21, with the government's first brief in that case due November 4, according to The College Investor.
Dan Zibel, an attorney for the group Student Defense, said in a written statement that dropping the appeals was "a significant victory for millions of Americans who have dedicated their careers to public service." Cormac Early, lead attorney for the plaintiffs at the Public Citizen Litigation Group, said nonprofit and public service workers can now continue their work without the threat raised by the rule. The Education Department and the Justice Department offered no further comment.
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图片来源：位于华盛顿的美国教育部总部 Lyndon Baines Johnson 大楼北入口（资料图）。照片：G. Edward Johnson 摄，CC BY 4.0，经维基共享资源／File photo: the north entrance of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Photo: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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