Growing Chorus of Student Loan Borrowers Say They Won’t Pay

Federal student loan bills return in October. But a growing chorus of borrowers say they simply can’t, or won’t pay.

That includes Amanda Acevedo, 37, who is raising three kids on a radiographer’s salary and has $40,000 in student debt. For the past three years, she and millions of other Americans didn’t need to worry about student loans after payments were paused at the start of the pandemic. The forbearance allowed her to pay off credit card debt and save for a down payment on a house in Orlando.

Now, with inflation driving up the cost of everything, from utilities and food to gas and car ...