“Borrowers will now be expected to repay their loans, and those who don’t will face involuntary collections,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. “The government can and will collect federal student loan debt by withholding money from borrowers, tax refunds, federal pensions and even their wages.”

Millions of defaulted student loan borrowers will face collection activities for the first time since the pandemic began.

Student loan debt has become a mounting issue over the past several decades, as tuition prices rose exponentially. Young Americans enrolling in college began applying for six-figure loans to cover the cost of education,