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u.s. news Diabierna 26 augustus 2022

Student loan forgiveness could help more than 40 million

(AP) — More than 40 mil- ments for what he called the according to the administra-
lion Americans could see “final time.” The pause is tion. About 60% of borrow-
their student loan debt re- now set to run through the ers are recipients of federal
duced — and in many cas- end of the year, with repay- Pell Grants, which are re-
es eliminated — under the ments to restart in January. served for undergraduates
long-awaited forgiveness with the most significant fi-
plan President Joe Biden “Both of these targeted ac- nancial need, meaning more
announced Wednesday, a tions are for families who than half can get $20,000 in
historic but politically di- need it the most: working relief.
visive move in the run-up and middle class people hit
to the midterm elections. especially hard during the Sabrina Cartan, a 29-year-
pandemic,” Biden said at the old media strategist in New
Fulfilling a campaign prom- White House Wednesday af- York City, is expecting her
ise, Biden is erasing $10,000 ternoon. federal debt to get wiped out
in federal student loan debt entirely. When she checked
for those with incomes below The cancellation applies to the balance Wednesday, it was
$125,000 a year, or house- federal student loans used $9,940.
holds that earn less than to attend undergraduate and
$250,000. He’s canceling an graduate school, along with Cartan used the loans to at- University has more than monthly payments on federal
additional $10,000 for those Parent Plus loans. Current tend Tufts University, and $40,000 in student loans. As student debt.
who received federal Pell college students qualify if with Biden’s plan she will be an undergraduate student she
Grants to attend college. their loans were issued before able to help her parents repay took jobs to minimize her The proposal would create a
July 1. For dependent stu- the additional thousands they debt, but at $10,000 a semes- new payment plan requiring
It’s seen as an unprecedented dents, their parents’ house- borrowed for her education. ter, the costs piled up. borrowers to pay no more
attempt to stem the tide of hold income must be below As a first-generation college than 5% of their earnings,
America’s rapidly rising stu- $250,000. student, she called it a “level- As a Black woman, she felt down from 10% in similar
dent debt, but it doesn’t ad- ing moment.” higher education was a re- existing plans. It would for-
dress the broader issue — the Most people will need to ap- quirement to obtain a more give any remaining balance
high cost of college. ply for the relief. The Educa- “I know there are people who stable financial future, even after 10 years, down from 20
tion Department has income feel that this isn’t enough, if that meant taking on large years now.
Republicans quickly de- data for a small share of bor- and that is true for a lot of amounts of debt, she said.
nounced the plan as an insult rowers, but the vast major- people,” said Cartan, who It would also raise the floor
to Americans who have re- ity will need to prove their already has repaid about “In order for us to get out for repayments, meaning no
paid their debt and to those incomes through an applica- $10,000 of her loans. “I can of a lot of the situations that one earning less than 225%
who didn’t attend college. tion process. Officials said say for me personally and for have been systemically a part of the federal poverty level
Critics across the political applications will be available a lot of people, that is a lot of of our lives, we have to go to would need to make monthly
spectrum also questioned before the end of the year. money.” school,” Simpson said. “And payments.
whether Biden has authority so we end up in debt.”
for the move, and legal chal- Biden’s plan makes 43 mil- For Braxton Simpson, As a regulation, it would not
lenges are virtually certain. lion borrowers eligible for Biden’s plan is a great first The plan doesn’t apply to require congressional ap-
some debt forgiveness, with step, but it’s not enough. The future college students, but proval. But it can take more
Biden also extended a pause 20 million who could get 23-year-old MBA student Biden is proposing a sepa- than a year to finalize.
on federal student loan pay- their debt erased entirely, at North Carolina Central rate rule that would reduce

Gender dysphoria covered by disability law, court rules

(AP) — A federal ruling landmark federal law protects benefits, advocates said. ment, government benefits puberty blockers, cross-sex
that gender dysphoria is transgender people who ex- and services and public ac- hormones and sex reassign-
covered by the Ameri- perience anguish and other “It’s a very important and commodations, Barry said. ment surgery have not been
cans with Disabilities Act symptoms as a result of the positive ruling to increase proven safe or effective in
could help block conser- disparity between their as- people’s access to gender- “This decision destigmatized treating gender dysphoria.
vative political efforts to signed sex and their gender affirming care,” said Rodrigo a health condition — gender
restrict access to gender- identity. Heng-Lehtinen, executive dysphoria — and it says that And Florida Gov. Ron De-
affirming care, advocates director of the National Cen- what Congress did in 1990 Santis, who is widely touted
and experts say. The ruling could become a ter for Transgender Equality. wasn’t OK,” Barry said. as a potential 2024 Repub-
powerful tool to challenge lican presidential candidate,
A panel of the 4th U.S. Cir- legislation restricting access The ruling is binding in the The sheriff’s office did not recently tweeted that chil-
cuit Court of Appeals last to medical care and other ac- states covered by the Rich- respond to phone messages dren should not be able to
week became the first fed- commodations for transgen- mond-based 4th Circuit — seeking comment. take puberty blockers “or
eral appellate court in the der people, including em- Maryland, North Carolina, mutilate their body by getting
country to find that the 1990 ployment and government South Carolina, Virginia and Some Republican leaders a sex change.”
West Virginia — but will in- who have led efforts to limit
evitably be cited in cases in access to transition treatment But leading medical entities
other states, said Kevin Barry, for youths have labeled it a contradict those positions,
a law professor at Quinnipiac form of child abuse. Texas Heng-Lehtinen said.
University. Gov. Greg Abbott this year,
for instance, ordered the “This health care is under at-
The decision came in the state’s child welfare agency to tack politically in a lot of the
case of a transgender woman investigate reports of gender- country, but medically all of
who sued the Fairfax County affirming care for children as the credible professionals
sheriff in Virginia for hous- abuse. involved — the American
ing her in a jail with men. Psychiatric Association, the
The decision is not limited A new rule in Florida restricts American Medical Associa-
to transgender people chal- Medicaid coverage for gen- tion and others — have all
lenging jail policies, but also der dysphoria treatments for recognized for years that this
applies broadly to all areas of youths and adults. The state is essentially primary care,”
society covered by disability health agency previously re- Heng-Lehtinen said.
rights law, including employ- leased a report stating that