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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 10 February 2025
House Republicans mull taxes on scholarships and changes to

student loan programs

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY higher education. Adjusted
AP Education Writer for inflation, public univer-
As Republicans in Congress sity tuition is less now than
look for ways to slash spend- it was ten years ago," said
ing, some legislators are Craig Lindwarm, senior vice
floating new taxes on col- president of governmental
lege scholarships, an end affairs with the Association
to student loan repayment of Public and Land-Grant
plans and a big hike in taxes Universities. "But as we look
on university endowments. at some of the proposals that
The ideas affecting higher are options, many would in-
education are among many crease costs on students and
in circulation among House families, and I think (the pro-
committees that are explor- posals) are heading in the di-
ing ways to cover the cost rection that most don't want
of extending and expanding to see, which is increasing
tax cuts passed in President expenses on students and
Donald Trump's first term. families."
The recommendations are Increasing taxes on college
still evolving, and it's unclear endowments
how close any of them will The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
get to being implemented. currently requires some pri-
Regardless, advocates vate nonprofit colleges and
across higher education say People walk past the John Harvard statue on the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, universities to pay a 1.4% tax
they are alarmed to see such Mass., Dec. 17, 2024. Associated Press on income from their endow-
proposals gain traction at all ments, which raised about
with Republicans. several possible ways to including one that caps loan budget reconciliation that $244 million from 58 institu-
"It's shocking to me because overhaul student loan pro- payments based on borrow- would allow Republicans to tions in 2022. The committee
this amount of cuts is not hap- grams. Some would reduce ers' income level. squeeze proposals through suggests increasing that to
pening in reaction to like a student access to federal aid Another possible change Congress purely on party- a 14% tax and expanding
budget crisis, like a recession. for college. would give borrowers addi- line votes. That would not which colleges would have
This really feels different in the On the chopping block po- tional opportunities to recov- be easy in the House, where to pay it.
sense that it is not something tentially are several plans stu- er from defaults. While they Republicans hold the major- Also being considered
that there is an external push dents can opt into to repay currently can rehabilitate ity by just a few seats. among hundreds of other
or a need for. So, it feels more their students loans, includ- their loans just once, allow- An end to tax-free status for ideas in circulation are fines
ideological in a way," said ing the SAVE plan introduced ing them to make a certain scholarships for colleges and universities
Jessica Thompson, a higher by the Biden administration. number of consecutive pay- Scholarships and fellow- that violate students' rights
education policy expert with That plan doesn't require bor- ments to get out of default, ships have been exempt under Title VI of the Civil
The Institute for College Ac- rowers to make payments if the proposal would allow from taxes as long as they Rights Act, which protects
cess and Success. they earn less than 225% of them to go through that pro- are used for tuition and re- against discrimination to-
Here is a look at possible fed- the federal poverty line — cess twice. The committee lated expenses. That would ward students of shared
eral budget cuts that would $32,800 a year for a single projected the new process change under another pro- ancestry. Such investiga-
affect higher education un- person — and prevents inter- could save the government posal that's up for consider- tions often have been re-
der the Trump administration: est from adding to balances millions of dollars but did not ation. solved through settlements
Cutting programs that help as long as borrowers make spell out how. The changes could create calling for training and policy
students pay off college their monthly payments. The The timing is uncertain on new financial burdens for updates. Title VI is currently
debt SAVE plan was already put when any of these propos- students and families, ad- what is being used to investi-
The U.S. House Commit- on hold after Republicans als could surface. They could vocates say. gate complaints of antisemi-
tee on Education and the challenged it. Some plans do be considered as soon as this "There's been great progress tism on college campuses
Workforce has suggested not appear to be targeted, spring in a process known as in bringing down the costs of across the U.S.q

Lasers aid river search for debris from plane and helicopter collision near DC

By JOHN SEEWER the coming days looking for of the collision, according to
Associated Press smaller debris before finishing an NTSB statement released
Crews continuing to search the work in about a week. Saturday afternoon.
for debris from the deadly A plane operated by the The NTSB said information
collision of a passenger jet National Oceanic and At- collected will be part of its
and Army helicopter near mospheric Administration ongoing investigation into
Washington used a plane and equipped with laser the Jan. 29 collision between
outfitted with lasers to scan scanning technology flew at the Army helicopter and an
the bottom of the Potomac low altitudes over the crash American Airlines flight over
River early Saturday, the Na- site. The lasers are used to Washington, D.C. There
tional Transportation Safety penetrate the river's surface were no survivors. President
Board said. Large pieces of and map the riverbed. Donald Trump on Thursday
Salvage crews pull up a part of a Black Hawk helicopter near the jetliner and helicopter "All major pieces" of the two blamed the collision on what
the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an
American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald along with the remains of aircraft have been found, he called an "obsolete" com-
Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in all 67 victims already were and investigators will exam- puter system used by U.S. air
Arlington, Va. recovered earlier this week ine them for any markings traffic controllers and vowed
Associated Press and crews now will spend that could reveal the angle to replace it.q