Attorney General Jay Jones joins multistate lawsuit challenging Trump’s changes to loan forgiveness rules

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Attorney General Jay Jones is fighting back against cuts to the public service loan forgiveness program by joining a multistate lawsuit on Thursday.

The attorney's general office announced on Thursday, Feb. 12, that Jones joined a lawsuit to protect the state's public servants from being illegally excluded from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

President Donald Trump tried to prevent public servants he disagreed with from having their loans forgiven when he signed an executive order that seeks to limit who could qualify for the program back in early March 2025.

“It is not only illegal, but cruel to pull the rug out from under our dedicated public servants who have been diligently repaying their student loans year after year with the promise of relief through loan forgiveness,” Jones wrote in a release. “This is yet another example of the president’s continued attack on public servants, jeopardizing their financial stability and raising costs. As Attorney General I will always fight to protect our workers and keep costs low.”

According to a release, PSLF has created a path forward for public servants to have their loan balances forgiven after a decade of successful payment since 2007.

The Trump administration has attempted to threaten their financial stability and ability to continue serving their communities. This was done illegally, per the attorney general's office.

If changed, this rule could influence borrowers' lives and add to the one in four federal student loan borrowers who are already delinquent or in default, the release said.

These actions are part of a broader wave of legal moves taken since Jones was sworn into office on Saturday, Jan. 17, including joining lawsuits against the Trump administration and reversing several positions taken by his predecessors.

In late January, the office of the attorney general announced that Jones joined a multistate lawsuit challenging Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) restrictions.