Washington DC - The Trump administration is being urged to take action after more than 200,000 people signed a petition calling for a pause on all federal student loan payments and interest.

"Amid an affordability crisis and the current state of affairs, student loan payments should be the last thing on anyone’s mind. Student loan payments are an unacceptable source of additional stress for Americans who are already stretched thin," reads a petition by the Student Debt Crisis Center.

Signatories are demanding an immediate payment pause on all federal student loans.

The petition has gathered 217,230 signatures at the time of writing.

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Under President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the US government announced it was restarting student debt collection after a pandemic-era pause. McMahon also revealed plans to garnish borrowers' wages but pulled back after public outrage.

On top of that, the Trump administration said it was restarting interest accrual on the SAVE plan and announced the end of the repayment plan, which was launched under former President Joe Biden.

"The results of the midterm election are undeniable – Americans need relief from the burden of unaffordable living, and they need it now," Natalia Abrams, president and founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center, said in a statement.

"Implementing an immediate pause on student loan payments and interest wouldn’t just be an effective way of providing relief, it would also free up room in the paychecks of over 43 million borrowers to pay bills, care for their families, and revitalize their local economies. It’s a no brainer."

According to the Education Data Initiative, student loan debt in the US totals an astonishing $1.863 trillion.

Earlier this week, the Debt Collective led nearly 20 groups in a letter to Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries calling for the next Congress to push for a student loan payment pause.