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☆ The GOP's bill to permanently block Biden's student-debt relief could cause public servants' loan balances to unexpectedly balloon if it passes, advocacy groups say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The SBPC and AFT released a report analyzing the impacts of a GOP bill to overturn student-debt relief. GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx rejected that idea during a hearing last week as Democrats said loans would be reinstated under the bill. However, the text of the CRA statute could suggest the GOP bill might do far more than block Biden's broad debt relief and the student-loan payment pauses. "This resolution will unwind debt relief already delivered to hundreds of thousands of public service workers across the country. The report also estimates that two million public servants making progress toward payments in PSLF could lose "at least some progress toward relief."

☆ House Republicans are planning to vote on a bill this week to deprive over '40 million hard-working' student-loan borrowers of debt cancellation, the White House says — and if passed, Biden will veto
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Republicans are planning to bring a bill overturning student-debt relief to the House floor for a vote this week. The White House said in a Monday statement that Biden will veto the bill if it makes it to his desk. "This resolution is an unprecedented attempt to undercut our historic economic recovery and would deprive more than 40 million hard-working Americans of much-needed student debt relief," the OMB said. Biden's broad debt relief plan has been blocked since November due to two conservative-backed lawsuits that paused the implementation of the plan. While the resolution could pass the House given the Republican majority, if faces a much trickier path in the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House.

☆ Student-loan borrowers need more 'individual responsibility,' a top GOP lawmaker says as the House advances a bill to block Biden's debt cancellation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A GOP resolution to block student-debt cancellation advanced out of the House education committee on Wednesday. The bill heads to a full House vote, but it's unlikely to pass a Democratic-controlled Senate. 45 is the first step in restoring individual responsibility and solving the root challenges of the student loan system." Republicans have expressed similar sentiments since the lead up to Biden's announcement of broad debt relief. "Let's be clear: this resolution to eliminate student debt relief would hurt millions of student borrowers and their families," he added.

☆ Millions of student-loan borrowers would be forced into 'abrupt and unplanned repayment' if Republicans' plan to overturn Biden's debt cancellation gets passed, 261 advocacy groups tell Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The House could likely take a first vote this week on a bill that would overturn student-debt relief. 261 advocacy groups urged congressional leaders on Monday to ensure that doesn't happen. They said the bill could force borrowers into an "abrupt" return to repayment and block targeted relief. "It will also force the Department of Education to unwind loans forgiven under Public Service Loan Forgiveness for first responders, nurses, educators, servicemembers, and hundreds of thousands of other public service workers across the country," they continued. Along with the CRA, McCarthy's bill to raise the debt ceiling — which passed the House two weeks ago — had spending cuts attached that included banning student-loan forgiveness.

☆ House Republicans are planning the first vote to overturn Biden's student-loan forgiveness next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In March, Republican lawmakers introduced a resolution to overturn Biden's student-debt relief. The House education committee is planning to vote on the bill next week, a spokesperson confirmed to Insider. Even if the resolution passes the House, it likely won't progress in a Democratic-controlled Senate. That hasn't stopped Republicans from coming up with their own plans to block debt relief from happening. Along with the CRA, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy's bill to raise the debt ceiling — which passed the House last week — including banning Biden's student-loan forgiveness and blocking any future relief.

☆ House Republicans subpoena labor authorities in Starbucks union dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 22 (Reuters) - The House Education and Labor Committee on Wednesday issued a subpoena to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging officials of the labor body failed to conduct fair and impartial union elections at Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O). She has requested a regional NLRB official to provide documents to see if the federal labor board mishandled Starbucks Union elections. The NLRB was investigating a substantial number of additional allegations against Starbucks and working with the Congress, the spokesperson added. Starbucks did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment, while Starbucks Workers United declined to comment. Employees at more than 280 of Starbucks' roughly 9,000 company-operated U.S. locations have voted to join a labor union since 2021 seeking better pay and benefits, improved health and safety conditions and protection against unfair dismissal.

☆ House Republicans subpoena labor authorities in Starbucks union dispute - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The report added the House Committee on Education and the Workforce asked a regional NLRB official to provide documents as to whether the labor body improperly influenced at least one Starbucks election. The top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, Virginia Foxx, wrote that she believes the NLRB has communications and documents outlining alleged misconduct in Starbucks elections, the report said. Foxx is seeking documents on the matter and has requested that the NLRB official provide the documents to the committee on March 29, the Journal reported, citing the subpoena. Starbucks, NLRB, the Starbucks Workers United and GOP did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Starbucks workers have also filed more than 500 charges against the company with the NLRB, which has ordered the company to reinstate 22 fired employees including some union supporters.

☆ Chuck Schumer vows to fight the latest GOP attempt to block student-loan forgiveness in Congress 'with everything we have'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The GAO confirmed to the GOP lawmakers that the debt relief is a rule that can be subject to oversight. The Government Accountability Office confirmed to the GOP lawmakers that it considers Biden's debt relief plan a rule, and "no exception applies." Since Biden announced his debt relief, Republicans have criticized the policy and introduced legislation to block the president from implementing loan forgiveness. "We will continue to fight this cruel Republican attempt to end student debt relief with everything we have." Biden's debt relief plan is currently blocked due to two conservative-backed lawsuits that paused its implementation in November.

☆ 3 GOP lawmakers just introduced a plan for Congress to overturn Biden's student-loan forgiveness
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

3 GOP lawmakers announced plans to overturn Biden's student-debt relief using the Congressional Review Act on Friday. The Act is an oversight tool Congress can use to overturn final rules put in place by federal agencies. The Education Department said Biden's student-debt relief should not be subject to that Act. Since Biden announced the broad debt relief plan in August, it ran into challenges not only by GOP lawmakers, but conservative-backed groups who filed lawsuits to block the plan. It will issue a decision on the legality of Biden's relief by June.

☆ 3 reasons student-loan borrowers could start taking on more debt once Biden's plan to lower monthly payments goes into effect
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Biden released a plan in August to reform income-driven repayment plans for student-loan borrowers. It also projected the more generous plan would lead to increased borrowing given the lower cost to take on debt. While Democratic lawmakers lauded the proposed improvements to IDR plans, Republican lawmakers criticized the proposal, along with its potential cost. Insider has previously reported that Biden's IDR reforms could keep borrowers in the same repayment cycle if it isn't implemented properly. "Under current IDR plans, most borrowers can expect to repay some or all their debt," the analysis said.

☆ 126 Democratic lawmakers reaffirm to Biden that they think his student-loan forgiveness plan is legal — and they 'expect the legal challenges to the plan will fail'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

126 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Biden expressing support for his student-debt relief plan. GOP lawmakers have continued to challenge the legality of his plan. Since Biden's debt relief plan was announced, many Republican lawmakers attacked that relief as unfair, costly, and an overreach of executive authority. Some Republicans have also recently introduced legislation to end the student-loan payment pause and block Biden from canceling student debt broadly. "The President has the legal authority to cancel student debt," Missouri Rep. Cori Bush wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

☆ Canceling student debt for millions of borrowers 'cheated by for-profit colleges' isn't enough, Biden's Education Department says — it's time for the top executives to pay up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Education Department released new guidance to hold executives of for-profit colleges financially liable for unpaid costs to the government. When a school shuts down or is accused of fraud, taxpayers or students often pay the costs. Last week, the Education Department released new guidance on implementing the Education Secretary's authority to hold executives of private colleges financially liable for the cost of unpaid debts defrauded students took on. "The Biden-Harris Administration is canceling the loans of more than a million borrowers cheated by for-profit colleges. But too often, the owners and executives of these colleges escape liability," Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said in a statement.

☆ The US economy has been 'more than fine' without your student debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Her story shows the extra juice that delaying — or as some would argue, canceling — student debt can provide to people's lives and the economy as a whole. "If we cancel student debt, what that really means is the federal government is choosing not to collect payments from debtors on the debt that's already issued," Steinbaum said. Biden's student loan bailout will cost every taxpayer, even those who never went to college, at least $2,500." But to be clear, we don't have the most concrete data about the effects of student loan relief — since, well, it hasn't been done. Do you have a story to share about student debt?

☆ Ayanna Pressley says it's not time for a student-debt relief backup plan yet, as a conservative-majority Supreme Court decides whether Biden's plan is legal
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Ayanna Pressley told Insider it's not the time for a backup plan on student-debt relief. The Supreme Court concluded oral arguments on the cases challenging Biden's debt relief on Tuesday. The Supreme Court needs to apply the letter of the law, and we need to get this done." Pressley was among a group of Democratic lawmakers who voiced support for student-debt relief outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday morning. "Even this far-right Supreme Court should be able to recognize that these claims against student debt relief are baseless and politically-motivated.

☆ A group challenging Biden's student-loan forgiveness in the Supreme Court this week says it's 'very clear' the relief is illegal: 'We feel very good about our case'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Job Creators Network, one of the groups challenging Biden's student-debt relief in the Supreme Court, said it feels "very good" about its case. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments for two lawsuits that blocked the relief. Biden's administration and Democrats have pushed back on the plaintiffs' standing to sue. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is taking on two lawsuits that paused Biden's plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers. Both of the lawsuits challenging Biden's plan said the broad debt relief is an overreach of that authority and should not be done without Congressional approval.

☆ A 'financial disaster for millions of Americans' could arise if the Supreme Court strikes down Biden's student-loan forgiveness, Elizabeth Warren details in a new report
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The cases that challenged Biden's debt relief are headed to the Supreme Court on Tuesday. "If the Supreme Court sides with the extremist judges, millions of Americans' monthly costs will rise significantly when student loan payments resume later this year," the report said. Still, Republican lawmakers have been adamant that canceling student debt broadly is unfair to those who already paid off their loans or did not borrow for college. Lawsuits are causing 'financial anxiety for vulnerable borrowers'Failing to implement debt relief would put a strain on younger and older borrowers alike. Now, all eyes turn to the Supreme Court, which is expected to hand down rulings in the two cases before the end of its term, typically in late June or early July.

☆ Some critics of Biden's student-loan forgiveness say the relief will help rich people the most. New data suggests the exact opposite.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New Education Department data suggested Biden's student-debt relief would benefit the lowest earners the most. It said that 81% of all applications received came from the bottom 80% of Congressional districts by average income. It used data from the department, along with the US Census Bureau, to make those estimates. But it's reasonable to say that Biden's relief would work as intended, targeting it to the lowest earners. Now, all eyes are on the Supreme Court to see if those borrowers will end up actually getting relief.

☆ 12 million student-loan borrowers could benefit from Biden's debt cancellation in the districts of the House Republicans who urged the Supreme Court to strike the relief down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

128 House Republicans filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court opposing student-debt relief. New data found that nearly 12 million borrowers in their districts would benefit from the relief. On Friday, the department unveiled data showing the breakdown of student-loan borrowers who applied, and were deemed eligible, for President Joe Biden's up to $20,000 in debt relief by congressional district. Over the past few weeks, 128 House Republican lawmakers filed an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court ahead of oral arguments on February 28 urging it to strike down Biden's debt relief. As the Education Department has previously said, over 40 million borrowers in total would qualify for Biden's debt relief, and of the 26 million borrowers who applied for the relief before the online application closed in October, 16 million of them had been fully approved.

☆ Student-loan borrowers with graduate school debt should get more relief under Biden's new proposal to make monthly payments cheaper, a top Democratic lawmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The public comment period for Biden's proposals to reform income-driven repayment plans just ended. Rep. Bobby Scott, top Democrat on the House education committee, suggested relief be expanded for graduate students. "I propose decreasing the time of repayment for graduate loans under REPAYE from 25 years to 20 years in the final rule," Scott wrote. "Parity between the undergraduate and graduate loan repayment timelines would incentivize borrowers to enroll in the more generous REPAYE plan and reduce confusion when deciding on a repayment plans generally." "I don't live an extravagant life, but just the basic necessities of life, and so I've done the income repayment plan for a while," one borrower previously told Insider.

☆ 69 Republican lawmakers call for Biden's student-loan repayment and forgiveness proposals to be 'rescinded,' blasting them as 'blatantly illegal' and 'a smack in the face of taxpayers'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

69 GOP lawmakers urged Biden to withdraw his student-loan forgiveness and repayment proposals. They said his proposal to reform income-driven repayment plans is "blatantly illegal." This proposal is reckless, fiscally irresponsible, and blatantly illegal and, as such, it should be rescinded." "Under current IDR plans, most borrowers can expect to repay some or all their debt," the analysis said. "This proposal is reckless, illegal, and will saddle hardworking Americans and future generations with unsustainable debt."

☆ Biden touts 'making progress reducing student debt' but doesn't call out the lawsuits blocking his broad loan forgiveness plan during the State of the Union
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Biden touted "reducing student debt" during his State of the Union address. He did not mention the ongoing lawsuits that have blocked his broad student-loan forgiveness plan. When it comes to education, the president addressed increasing pay for teachers and providing two years of free community college, but he didn't have much to say about student debt. "And we're making progress by reducing student debt and increasing Pell Grants for working- and middle-class families." "Look, the opponents suing to stop my plan are the only thing standing between millions of Americans' crushing student debt and relief," he wrote on Twitter last month.

☆ Why the law Biden is using to cancel student debt is 'highly strained,' according to a group formed by Obama lawyers aimed at protecting American democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Protect Democracy, a group formed by Obama lawyers, filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on student debt. It said that Biden's usage of the HEROES Act of 2003 to cancel student debt is "highly strained." While there might be another route to cancel student debt, the group said this relief is an overuse of emergency powers. "It is important to recognize that both student debt and the pandemic have disproportionately harmed lower income and minority communities," the brief said. One regarded Biden's student debt relief, and the other was on Arizona v. Mayorkas.

☆ Betsy DeVos and former GOP lawmakers who helped construct versions of the legislation Biden is using to cancel student debt just told the Supreme Court his plan 'obviously violates' the law
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Both briefs criticized the legal path Biden used to cancel student debt, saying relief requires Congressional approval. The Supreme Court is hearing the two lawsuits challenging Biden's relief on February 28. After two conservative-backed lawsuits late last year paused the implementation of Biden's debt relief, the Supreme Court agreed to take up both of the cases on February 28. Per the brief, McKeon was the original author of the HEROES Act of 2001 in response to 9/11, and Kline authored the HEROES Act of 2003. So did former Rep. George Miller, a top Democratic lawmaker on the House education committee who helped construct the HEROES Act of 2003.

☆ A top Republican lawmaker accuses the Education Department of 'blatantly lying' about how much its student-loan forgiveness costs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An independent auditor found "weakness" in how the Education Department calculated student-debt relief costs. GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx accused the department of "blatantly lying" in its estimates. The auditor did not make that accusation, and a department spokesperson said the court challenges blocking the relief have led to limited data. "The Department is blatantly lying about how much taxpayer money it is giving away," Foxx said in a statement. In September, the department estimated that its broad student-debt relief plan would cost $30 billion annually over the next decade, and that 81% of borrowers would participate in the relief.

☆ A top Republican says Biden's proposals to make monthly student-loan payments cheaper are a 'backdoor' for his 'radical free college agenda'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Biden administration announced new regulations to improve income-driven repayment plans. The changes are meant to make payments cheaper, and "create faster pathways to forgiveness," according to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Foxx has been an outspoken opponent of Biden's broad student loan forgiveness and other pandemic-era debt-relief measures. Under IDR, borrowers are meant to make monthly payments based on their incomes, with eventual loan forgiveness after at least 20 years of payments. "These plans will significantly cut monthly loan payments and it's part of a real transformation of the student loan system."

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