The Student Loan Reset Is Coming — Part One with The Student Loan Doctor

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club — "The Student Loan Reset Is Coming — Part One"
Guest: Sonia Lewis (The Student Loan Doctor)
Host: Mimi Brown
Date: June 19, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this timely episode of "Front Page," a segment of The Breakfast Club, host Mimi Brown sits down with Sonia Lewis, also known as The Student Loan Doctor, to break down the urgent changes coming to federal student loan repayment plans on July 1, 2026, following the implementation of President Trump’s "One Big, Beautiful Bill." With millions of Americans affected, Sonia offers actionable advice, uncovers potential pitfalls, and explains how borrowers can protect themselves before the new rules take effect.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Scope of Student Loan Debt

• Over 42 million Americans owe a combined $1.87 trillion in student loan debt. (03:35)
• The episode's goal is to alert, inform, and prepare listeners for significant, imminent changes.

2. What Changes on July 1, 2026

• Major Overhaul of Repayment Plans:

  • Several Department of Education repayment plans are disappearing, including the Biden-era SAVE plan.
  • For new federal student loans, only two repayment options will be available:
    • A tiered standard plan (fixed monthly payments)
    • The new RAP (Repayment Assistance Plan), which is income-based
  • All other repayment plans are being phased out for new borrowers. (03:35–04:49)

• Key Quote:

  • "On July 1, under President Trump's One Big, Beautiful bill, the rules are changing." — Mimi Brown (03:37)

3. The Fate of the SAVE Plan

• The SAVE plan will be officially ended by Congress.

• Many currently enrolled borrowers might still see "SAVE" listed on their accounts, but as of July 1, they’ll be forcibly moved to the standard or alternative repayment plans.

• Both replacement plans are "unaffordable and do not count towards IDR [Income-Driven Repayment] forgiveness." (06:07–07:20)

• Key Quote:

  • “Programs like the SAVE plan... it ended before it officially started. So what's happening is there are about 7 million people... they may even see that they're still in the SAVE plan. But as of July 1, it's going to be a hard [cut].” — Sonia Lewis (06:07)

4. The New RAP Plan & The Forgiveness Clock Trap

• Borrowers moved from SAVE to RAP will have payments calculated by income, which may seem affordable, but:

  • Switching plans resets a borrower’s timeline for loan forgiveness by 5–10 years.
  • If a borrower wants to switch out of RAP back to another plan (like IBR), the clock for forgiveness restarts entirely, threatening some borrowers with dramatically longer repayment periods—potentially “having to pay until they’re 70 because they didn’t know the right information.” (07:20–09:04)

• Notable Exchange:

  • "If you go from the SAVE plan to the RAP plan, right?... you will pay for payment for five to ten years." — Sonia Lewis (09:14)
  • "But they won't let you out. And if they do let you out, you start all over again." — Mimi Brown (09:24)
  • "Right. ... Could you imagine someone 50 years old having to pay until they're 70 because they didn't know the right information?" — Sonia Lewis (09:35)

5. The IDR Tracker: A Hidden Landmine

• An IDR (Income-Driven Repayment) tracker will appear in borrower accounts, showing time already accrued towards forgiveness.

• Those near forgiveness (e.g., “17 out of 20 years”) might want to exit RAP for faster cancellation, but switching will reset their progress, starting them back at 0. (09:35–10:28)

• Key Quote:

  • "You could go back [from RAP to IBR], but it won’t be just three years. It starts the clock over to 30 years. Does this make sense? ... I was like, who wrote this?" — Sonia Lewis (09:35)

• Host Reaction:

  • “These are in essence, just traps, really. Yeah, that’s what it sounds like.” — Mimi Brown (10:28)

6. The Urgent Action Borrowers Must Take

• Sonia advises borrowers to apply for IBR now, before July 1, to avoid being trapped in the RAP plan and suffering a forgiveness clock reset.

• Application guidance:

  • Visit studentaid.gov
  • Navigate to "loan repayment," "income-driven application," and choose "start new application" (even if previously applied). (13:37–14:58)

• Key Quote:

  • “If someone’s listening today, the biggest takeaway is, okay, if I get out of the SAVE plan, I should just go to IBR. Yes, it’s going to be a little more expensive. But, no, you’re not going to have to pay an extra five or 10 years. ... All they have to do is go to studentaid.gov...” — Sonia Lewis (13:37)

7. Timeline for Plan Availability

• Until 2028: PAYE, ICR, and IBR remain available.
• After 2028: Only RAP and IBR will remain, increasing urgency for current borrowers to act swiftly. (15:08–15:10)

8. Sneak Peek: Part Two

• Next episode will cover wage garnishment, government collection powers, and step-by-step guidance for those already in default. (15:39)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:11 | Sonia Lewis | “July 1st is going to be one of the biggest student loan overhauls that we've seen in years...” | | 09:35 | Sonia Lewis | “Could you imagine someone 50 years old having to pay until they're 70 because they didn't know the right information?” | | 10:28 | Mimi Brown | “These are in essence, just traps, really. Yeah, that's what it sounds like.” | | 13:37 | Sonia Lewis | “If I get out of the SAVE plan, I should just go to IBR. Yes, it’s going to be a little more expensive. But, no, you’re not going to have to pay an extra five or 10 years...” |

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Actionable Steps for Borrowers

1. Review your current plan on studentaid.gov.
2. Apply for IBR immediately (before July 1) to avoid being forced into RAP and risking a reset of your forgiveness timeline.
3. Spread the word — many borrowers are unaware of the urgency and potential consequences.

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Important Timestamps

• 03:15–04:49: Overview of upcoming student loan changes
• 05:11–07:20: Sonia Lewis explains the July 1 overhaul and what plans are ending
• 07:20–10:28: Discussion of forgiveness clock “trap” built into new RAP plan
• 13:37–14:58: Practical guidance for switching to IBR and using studentaid.gov
• 15:39: Preview of Part Two (wage garnishment and default solutions)

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Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for anyone with federal student loans. Sonia Lewis cuts through complex policy changes with urgency, revealing hidden dangers and straightforward solutions. If you or someone you know has student debt, act quickly and stay informed—the choices made before July 1 could impact loan repayment for decades to come.

Transcript

[Sonia Lewis]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Sonia Lewis]

That sounds nice.

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[Mimi Brown]

Today on Front Page if you have student loans, you'll want to pay close attention. Big changes are coming July 1st that could impact how much you pay, how much you can borrow, and what happens if you're already behind on those loans.

[Sonia Lewis]

There are some options that are disappearing. There are going to be some new borrowing limits that are going to be introduced.

[Mimi Brown]

In part one of our discussion, the student loan doctor is going to break down what these changes mean, who they're going to affect and what borrowers need to do right now. It's Friday, June 19th. From the black Effect Podcast Network, I'm Mimi Brown. This is Front Page. Stay with me. More than 42 million Americans owe the federal government a combined $1.87 trillion in student loan debt on July 1 under President Trump's One Big, Beautiful bill. The rules are changing. Several Department of Education repayment plans are going away, including the Biden Error Save plan. Anyone who takes out a new federal student loan starting July 1 will have just two repayment plan options, a tiered standard plan with fixed monthly payments or repayment assistance plan based on income. That's it. So what does that mean for you and the loan you've been paying on right now? I called the one person I knew could help me make sense of it all. Sonia Lewis, the Student Loan Doctor. Let's get into it.

You give such good advice, such good information and There is a July 1 deadline coming up when it comes to student loans that I think a lot of people do not know about. A lot of things are going to change and so I wanted to tap in with you and so that you could just let us know what we need to know about this upcoming July 1st deadline.

[Sonia Lewis]

Well meaning, thanks for having me. July 1st is going to be one of the biggest student loan overhauls that we've seen in years. And millions of borrowers are going to be focused on forgiveness. But also what they don't realize is that there are so many changes that are going to be happening with repayment and these decisions that are going to be made, it's going to affect not only the current generation of borrowers, but but the future generations to come. So everything that we're discussing today is so important. I just hope that everyone has a pen and paper nearby.

[Mimi Brown]

Yes, because they're definitely going to need a pen and paper. Because I feel like sometimes with this information they don't tell you. I feel like, you know, you may hear it here and there, but it's not something that's just front and center. And so we want to make sure that everyone gets this information today. So I know you said that there may be people could lose access to certain repayment plans. Can you explain that?

[Sonia Lewis]

Well, programs like the save plan. Let's start there S a v E the save plan is going for sure. And I know that there was some debate of if it would come back, but Congress officially allowed it to be ended. Now it ended before it officially started. So what's happening is there are about 7 million people, meaning that think that they're in the save plan. They could even log into studentaid.gov and they may even see that they're still in the save plan. But as of July 1, it's going to be a hard People are either going to be put into what's called the standard plan or the alternative repayment plan. And both are unaffordable and do not count towards IDR forgiveness, which stands for Income Driven Forgiveness. We'll talk about that in a little. Right now, what's on the table, people have an option of the pay plan, the ICR income Contingent repayment and the IBR plan. What everyone here listening should know is that the IB is in ball r plan was created through Congress, so that plan can't just be removed or taken away very easily. So people are safe going from SAVE to ibr. Now, the biggest thing to explain here, Mimi, and if I say it in a way that doesn't sound clear, you let me know. The biggest thing that they slid into the one big beautiful bill was that if someone went from the save plan, let's say, to the new plan that this administration is introducing called the RAP Plan Repayment Assistance Plan, the biggest challenge here is that they'll let you switch plans because it'll be a little more affordable There, but it's going to push people into repayment for an additional five to ten years. Okay, so stay with me. There's one more like semicolon here. You're like, well, if I was to go into the IBR plan, I could be forgiven in a few years, right? Just depending on who's listening. There's forgiveness at the 20 year mark when you're making payments in an income driven plan. Well, Mimi, here's what the administration is not telling people. They'll let you go to the new affordable plan called rapid, but they won't let you get out. And if you do want to come out, I know it's like death for records. And if you do want to get out, right, that's fine. Here's the challenge. It's going to reset your clock for forgiveness. So, Mimi, just imagine someone 50 years old, 40 years old, a year or two away from having their loans totally forgiven. They're at the 20 year mark and just because they didn't know the right information. So I really thank you for allowing us on the show today that one change to switch back is going to reset their clock. Could you imagine someone 50 years old having to pay until they're 70 because they didn't know the right information?

[Mimi Brown]

Wait a minute, wait a minute. I need to make sure that I understand this. So basically, if you go from the save plan to the RAP plan, right?

[Sonia Lewis]

You can go, you can go. You will pay for payment for five to 10 years.

[Mimi Brown]

Okay, okay. So you can go.

[Sonia Lewis]

Yeah, go ahead, go ahead, keep on.

[Mimi Brown]

But they won't let you out. And if they do let you out, you start all over again. So is it all the money that you've paid into that plan just resets? Everything starts over all over again.

[Sonia Lewis]

Right. And the listeners should be thinking like, well, why would I want to get out? Good question. So what's going to happen is that there's going to be something called an IDR tracker that's going to be put onto everyone's account through student aid.gov. so, Mimi, let's say a month or two from now, people log into studentaid.gov and I can even come back and talk to you about this later because this is a big deal. They come back on. I mean, they log in and they're like, oh my God, I'm 17 out of 20 years, almost forgiven. That means what, Mimi? Three years remaining right now, Mimi, that is the person who's going to want to go back out of the RAP plan because they only had three years. Well, you could go back, but it won't be just three years. It starts to clock over to 30 years. Does this make sense? I know this sounds crazy, Mimi. I know. It's like I was like, who wrote this? Yeah.

[Mimi Brown]

These are in essence, just traps, really. Yeah, that's what it sounds like.

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[Sonia Lewis]

That sounds nice.

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[Mimi Brown]

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[Sonia Lewis]

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[Sonia Lewis]

Yeah, and I'm surprised that this has not been brought to the course just yet. There are many legal groups that are on the front line that are fighting this. Great. Cause I'm surprised that it has not been held up by Congress. Like, literally. We've been tracking it and tracking it for the last few years. That, that, that sentence I told you about, that swap and that change that got added right in before publications were finalized. This is a huge document. So of course, that could go over some people's head. But if someone's listening today, the biggest takeaway is, okay, if I get out of the safe plan, I should just go to ibr. Yes, it's going to be a little more expensive. But no, you're not going to have to pay an extra five or 10 years. And no, you. You're not going to want to reset your time clock later. That's the biggest takeaway from what we're talking about right now. All they have to do is go to studentaid.gov. there's about four tabs at the top of the site. I know it by heart. You're going to go in their loan repayment. On your left hand column, it says income driven application. And then they're going to hit start new application, even if it recognizes you from years ago. But we don't know what information they have from years ago. A lot of people haven't done this application since before pandemic times. So we're going to hit new application and we're going to submit and share our information so we can get a new updated payment plan.

[Mimi Brown]

Okay. And they have to do that before July 1, because after July 1, the only payment plan that will be available is the rap.

[Sonia Lewis]

Yes. Yes. So let's back up.

[Mimi Brown]

Okay.

[Sonia Lewis]

Right now. Okay. So until 2028, pay ICR and IBR are available after 2028, it's only going to be rap and IBR. Okay, okay. But the thing is, we just need people to know IBR now so that they don't get jammed up when that IDR tracker comes back.

[Mimi Brown]

That's part one with Sonya Lewis, the student loan doctor, and on Monday, we'll dive into part two of our conversation. If you have student loans, you do not want to miss it. We're going to talk about wage garnishment, how the government can take money directly from your paycheck if you fall behind. She'll also discuss how to avoid default before it happens, what to do step by step if you're already in default and you need a way out. So that's on Monday right here on Front Page. So make sure you tune in. I'm Mimi Brown. This podcast was brought to you by the Lack of Effect Podcast Network.

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