The premise of expanding IDR appears to have been that student debt default must be due to temporary factors such as difficulty finding a job at an income sufficient to pay off loans. If the causes of delinquency and default are temporary, then, IDR is a temporary solution to that failure of income to line up with required payments. This effectively extends the forbearance that is a standard feature of student loans, lasting six months following completion, into the future indefinitely on an opt-in basis, until such time as the borrower is able to find a job.
Like much else about the federal student loan system, that diagnosis is based on an oversimplified picture of who students are-that all students attend college before entering the workforce, at which point they will enjoy higher earnings thanks to the college wage premium.
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