America is drowning in student loan debt. By many metrics, the student loan debt crisis is the worst it has ever been. This is also true on Capitol Hill, where 59 members of Congress together owe millions of dollars — likely more student loan debt than any previous Congress, according to a NOTUS analysis of financial disclosures.

The most recent financial disclosures cover 2024, and liabilities are reported in ranges, so an exact, current amount cannot be calculated. But based on what information is available, the total student debt held by lawmakers is at least $3.4 million, and at most $8.3 million.

That’s a significant jump from 2020, whenOpenSecrets reportedthat House and Senate members owed a maximum of $5.8 million in student debt.

This means many lawmakers are in the same position as millions of Americans, who together carried $1.66 trillion of student loan debt at the end of 2025. Members of Congress are in a position to address the crisis with legislation — but they can’t agree on how.

It’s unclear exactly what is driving the increased lawmaker debt, although lawmakers and experts theorized that it could be due toCongress getting younger, or the fact that lawmakers are more likely to have degrees in fields where education is increasingly expensive, such aslaw.

Newer members stand out: first-term Republican Del. Kimberly King-Hinds reported the most debt, between $300,003 and $750,000. King-Hinds said her student loan balance currently sits at $220,000 (the most recent filings cover calendar year 2024). In a statement to NOTUS, she wrote that student loans were the bridge to professional opportunities for her and many in her district, the Northern Mariana Islands.

“Accountability should extend not only to borrowers, but to institutions driving costs upward,” she said. “My experience is not unique, it reflects the reality facing millions of Americans, including those from small and remote communities, working to better themselves through education while managing the financial burden that comes with it.”

Some of Congress’ more seasoned members reported debt, too. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reported between $15,001 and $50,000.

“I have student loan debt,” Republican Rep. David Schweikert, Joint Economic Committee chair, said.

Schweikert incurred the debt in 2004, according to disclosures, and owes between $15,001 and $50,000. He told NOTUS it was for graduate school.

Source: Drudge Report