Trump considers executive order on student loans, campus free speech

The White House is considering an executive order that would require colleges to share some of the risk for taxpayer-backed federal student loans, which have a relatively high rate of default, according to people familiar with the matter.

A section in President Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget proposal released this week refers to a “request to create an educational finance system that requires postsecondary institutions that accept taxpayer funds to have skin in the game through a student loan risk-sharing program.”

While the pending executive order isn’t finalized, officials said it could include a provision seeking to make colleges and universities more accountable for the cost of an education. The order is expected to be issued soon.

Presidential adviser Ivanka Trump also is expected to appear at an event Monday that will address reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and college affordability.

The president said at the Conservative Political Action Conference earlier this month that he is preparing to issue an order pertaining to higher education, but he indicated it would deal with his concerns about institutions that restrict free speech.