Asking Congress for Help with Your Student Loans Actually Works

Many people don’t realize that members of Congress have large staffs, with some members specifically dedicated to helping constituents navigate government-related issues. When voters reach out for assistance with federal matters, these offices can often provide significant help.

Frustrated borrowers are often skeptical that a politician can actually help, but when it comes to navigating student loan red tape, they are a great resource.

How and Why Your Elected Officials Offer Assistance

For a member of Congress, having a team dedicated to helping voters cut through government red tape is just good politics. If a constituent reaches out and actually receives help, they’re likely to be very satisfied—and they might even tell their friends about the excellent assistance they received.

This kind of constituent support is particularly beneficial for student loan borrowers. We often find ourselves in situations where we know something is wrong and understand what needs to be done to fix it, but we just can’t get our issue in front of the right person.

That’s where your local House Representative or Senator comes in.

A single email or letter from a member of Congress is often enough to prompt action from the Department of Education or your loan servicer. In many cases, your issue gets escalated to someone higher up—someone who has the authority to resolve it. Often, this person is someone most borrowers would never have access to on their own.

Finding Your Elected Official

If you’re unsure who represents you in Congress or how to contact them, you can easily find this information on the Contact Us page at Congress.gov.

Simply enter your address, and you’ll get a list of all the elected officials who represent you in Washington, D.C. From there, you can follow links to the contact pages and phone numbers for each elected official.

I recommend writing an email because it’s easy for the office to forward, and it gives you the chance to think through your request before hitting send. However, if you’re more comfortable making a phone call, the Congress.gov contact page provides phone numbers too.

Additionally, if you live near one of your representative’s local offices, you might consider visiting in person to speak with someone.

How to Get Help from Your Representative

While these constituent services offices are eager to help, it’s important to understand that they receive many requests every day. To increase the chances of getting your issue addressed, I suggest the following tips:

• Keep It Simple: The more complicated your request, the less likely you are to get help. You need to clearly explain your situation to the congressional aide, who will then relay it to the Department of Education at the very least. Be concise and to the point. Also, remember that the person handling your request may not be an expert on student loans.
• Be Reasonable: Constituent services aim to keep voters happy. If you come across as demanding too much or as someone who will never be satisfied, their motivation to help you drops significantly.
• Keep It Short: It’s useful to mention that you’ve already contacted your servicer and the Department of Education without getting help. However, don’t overwhelm them with your life history or every detail of your interactions with MOHELA. Assume you have about two minutes of a staffer’s attention. What are the most critical points to cover?
• Be Specific About What You Want: Complaining about poor or slow customer service won’t get you far. Don’t just explain what’s wrong—tell them how to fix it.

Confused about the best appraoch? Schedule a call, and we can discuss the optimal strategy for your loans. I can help you craft your email or plan your call when you reach out for assistance.

Success Story Example

I recently consulted with a borrower who should have been included in the first batch of loans eligible for the one-time account adjustment. However, their servicer and the Department of Education could only say that they would eventually get to it, with no projected completion time.

I suggested that this borrower email their local elected representative. That email led to a phone call with the representative’s office, which in turn led to contact with the Department of Education.

Within a few weeks, the borrower’s file was reviewed for forgiveness eligibility under the one-time account adjustment, and they received a letter stating their loans would be forgiven.

By reaching out to their elected representative, clearly explaining the problem, and asking for an account review, this borrower was able to resolve their issue more quickly.

Request Template

Here’s a simple template you can use to reach out to your elected official:

Issues Most Likely to Succeed

If you’re seeking an apology or a pound of flesh, reaching out to your elected representative’s office won’t help.

You won’t be able to change student loan policy, and they won’t make a special exception for you.

However, this approach is highly effective for error corrections. If someone made a mistake processing your application, or if something is being ignored, contacting your representative is an excellent way to bring attention to the issue.

Final Thoughts

I know many of you might be skeptical that a politician would offer any real help. It might seem like a waste of time and effort.

But, in my experience, these requests can make a difference.

Some offices are more helpful than others, but given how little effort it takes to reach out—and considering the potential benefit—it’s often time well spent.