The Biden administration originally stated that its August extension of the student loan moratorium would be the final extension. The pause will now last until May 2022. The U.S. has had the moratorium in place since the earliest days of the pandemic under former President Donald Trump.
 

“The Department of Education will continue working with borrowers to ensure they have the support they need to transition smoothly back into repayment and advance economic stability for their own households and for our nation,” Biden said in a statement.

“As we are taking this action, I’m asking all student loan borrowers to do their part as well: take full advantage of the Department of Education’s resources to help you prepare for payments to resume; look at options to lower your payments through income-based repayment plans; explore public service loan forgiveness; and make sure you are vaccinated and boosted when eligible,” he added.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki indicated earlier in December that the Biden administration still intended to restart student loan payments beginning in February.