L. 108–76 (text) (PDF)) was legislation passed unanimously by the United States Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 16, 2002.

[1] It allows waiving of statutory or regulatory requirements related to federal student loans for three categories of individuals: active-duty military or National Guard officials, those who reside or are employed in a declared disaster area, or those who have suffered direct economic hardship as a result of wars, military operations, or national emergencies.

[7] In March 2020, the CARES Act passed by Congress included a pause on federal student loans repayments and interest until September 30, 2020.

[8] On August 8, 2020, the Trump administration issued a memorandum instructing the Secretary of Education to pause on student loan payments and interest through December 31, 2020 using the authority granted by the HEROES Act.

[7][16] Following litigation brought by several Republican-led state governments, the Supreme Court ruled in Biden v. Nebraska (2023) that the statute did not permit the administration's debt forgiveness program.