skip to main content

Friday, June 2, 2023

play newscast audioPlay

A Wisconsin group criticizes two of its members of Congress, a new report says the Phoenix area cannot meet its groundwater demands, and Nevada's sporting community sends its priorities to the governor.

play newscast audioPlay

The Senate aims to get the debt limit spending bill to President Biden's desk quickly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes a campaign stop in Iowa, and a new survey finds most straight adults support LGBTQ+ rights.

play newscast audioPlay

Oregon may expand food stamp eligibility to some undocumented households, rural areas have a new method of accessing money for roads and bridges, and Tennessee's new online tool helps keep track of cemetery locations.

Congress to Vote Today on Measure to Rescind Student Debt Relief

play audio
Play

Wednesday, May 24, 2023   

The House of Representatives is set to vote today on a bill that would repeal President Joe Biden's plan to wipe out $10,000 to $20,000 in student loan debt for more than 30 million borrowers.

Opponents of Biden's plan are invoking the Congressional Records Act, which allows lawmakers to nullify recently passed bills.

Mike Pierce, executive director of the Student Borrower Protection Center, said the bill could also revive some debt already canceled under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

"The student debt CRA scheme would reinstate student loan debt of more than 260,000 public service workers nationwide," said Pierce, "dropping a nearly $20 billion debt burden onto the backs of these hardworking teachers, nurses, first responders and service members still emerging from the pandemic."

Opponents of the debt forgiveness complain Biden's plan transfers the debt to taxpayers. The president has threatened to veto the act should it cross his desk.

A new study by the American Federation of Teachers and the Student Borrower Protection Center finds that more than 615,000 public employees have had $42 billion in debt canceled via the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program since 2007.

The program allows participants to discharge the remainder of their debt after ten years in the field.

Jessica Saint-Paul, Ph.D, is a physician assistant and professor who teaches public health in the Los Angeles Community College District. She said she no longer has to pay back $144,000 - thanks to the PSLF program.

"To release this burden of student loan debt, that's one less thing that I need to be concerned about," said Saint-Paul. "I don't have to worry about taking multiple jobs. I can truly, truly focus on doing what I love doing and I don't see myself ever leaving public service."

Biden's student debt cancellation plan was blocked by the courts before it could go into effect and goes before the U.S. Supreme Court in June.





get more stories like this via email

More than 50 anti-Muslim hate groups were operating in the United States in 2021. Many target violence against Muslims by the way they dress. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A Muslim rights group is taking the Kent County Sheriff's Office to court for forcing a Michigan woman to remove her hijab for a booking photo…


Social Issues

play sound

A rally was held in Salem Thursday to urge passage of a bill to provide food assistance to Oregonians regardless of their immigration status…

Social Issues

play sound

The Keystone State's general election is less than six months away and a nonpartisan, grassroots organization is already getting the word out to …


With the debt-ceiling debate winding down, Congress faces future budget battles, including the Farm Bill reauthorization this fall. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

This week's debt ceiling deal saw federal policymakers compromise on budget-related matters, but a new awareness campaign from a Wisconsin grassroots …

Environment

play sound

Offshore wind in New York and New Jersey is becoming a large contributor to job growth. New York's offshore wind investments are slated to create …

Sarah Van Loon, Midwest regional director for the American Jewish Committee, said it is incumbent upon all of us to teach children about the Holocaust. (Adobe stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Hoosiers could play a pivotal role in pushing back against a surge of hate and violence against Jews in America. Nearly two-thirds of all …

Environment

play sound

The Nevada hunting and fishing community is sharing its top 10 conservation priorities for 2023 with Gov. Joe Lombardo's office, as they seek to …

Environment

play sound

In Yellowstone National Park, 30,000 acres are protected from mining by Congressional order, but there is a sliver left unprotected, and a Montana …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021