Washington DC - The American Federation of Teachers labor union has filed a new lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's shutting down of student loan repayment plans.

In AFT v. U.S. Department of Education, the 1.8 million member-strong union accuses the Education Department of unlawfully denying student loan borrowers access to affordable loan payments and blocking progress toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Last month, the department barred access to income-driven repayment (IDR) plans and ordered student loan servicers to stop processing applications. The move followed the 8th Circuit Court of Appeal's ruling that the Biden administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan was illegal.

More than one million borrowers have been left in a backlog without guidance on when their applications will be restored.

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"By effectively freezing the nation’s student loan system, the new administration seems intent on making life harder for working people, including for millions of borrowers who have taken on student debt so they can go to college," AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a press release.

"The AFT has fought tirelessly to make college more affordable by limiting student debt for public service workers and countless others – progress that’s now in jeopardy because of this illegal and immoral decision to deny borrowers their rights under the law," Weingarten continued.

"Today, we’re suing to restore access to the statutory programs that are an anchor for so many, and that cannot be simply stripped away by executive fiat."

The AFT last month sued the Trump administration's Education Department for efforts to undermine civil rights laws.