A proposed U.S. Department of Education rule tied to “earnings bump” requirements has sparked warnings from Democratic lawmakers and higher education experts. Under the proposal, programs could lose eligibility for federal student loans if graduates fail a new earnings test, comparing undergraduate program outcomes against state workers with only a high school diploma and graduate outcomes against bachelor’s-degree workers. Critics say the rule also risks weakening Biden-era gainful employment protections designed to prevent career programs from saddling students with unmanageable debt, including the debt-to-earnings test. Lawmakers point to the tens of thousands of public comments submitted during the comment period and question whether the Department’s oversight capacity will match the scale of the regulatory change. The proposal would implement higher education consumer-protection provisions from last year’s sweeping spending package, leaving universities and career program operators preparing for potential compliance shifts in program eligibility and reporting.