Biden Bits: “Finding an Alternative Path”…

April 9, 2024 12:00 pm EDT Tiff Biden Tweets (Open Thread) Comments Off on Biden Bits: “Finding an Alternative Path”…
Biden Tweets Logo. Image by Lenny Ghoul.

It’s Tuesday…

President Biden’s public schedule for 04/09/2024:

9:00 AM
Presidential Daily Brief		The President receives the President’s Daily Brief
Closed Press
12:30 PM
Remarks		The President delivers remarks on the care economy
In-Town Travel Pool
1:30 PM
Press Briefing		Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
6:00 PM
Welcomes Guests		The President and The First Lady welcome Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Mrs. Kishida Yuko of Japan to the White House
South Portico

From the White House…

04/09/2024:

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Highlights Substantial Progress on the President’s Care Agenda During Month of Action on Care:

[Snip]

 Today, President Biden will be joined by care workers and unions as he lays out how he will build on that progress with transformational investments in child care, home care, paid family and medical leave, tax cuts for workers and families, and other priorities, which are fully paid for by making the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes. That is in sharp contrast with congressional Republicans, who would make devastating cuts to funding for care, healthcare, Social Security, and Medicare to pay for massive tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations.

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Highlights Substantial Progress on the President’s Care Agenda During Month of Action on Care. 04/09/2024.

President Biden Delivers Remarks on the Care Economy @12:30 p.m. D.C., time:

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Jake Sullivan @1:30 p.m. D.C., time:

First Lady Jill Biden Hosts a Media Preview for the Japanese State Dinner @5:00 p.m. D.C., time:


New Plans to Cancel Student Debt Retweet and Tweets

From Monday…

Remarks by President Biden on Lowering Costs for Americans | Madison, Wisconsin; the YouTube is 18 minutes and 59 seconds long.

Folks, third, we plan to cancel debt for about 2 million borrowers who would be eligible for debt forgiveness through the SAVE program, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or other debt-canceling programs but are not enrolled in these programs.  Some of you are only finding out after the fact, you’re — as you’re a teacher, a firefighter, a cop, that you qualify, but you just didn’t know about it before.  And now people are — but you’re eligible no matter how long it’s been — you’ve been out of the program.

Remarks by President Biden on Lowering Costs for Americans | Madison, Wisconsin. 04/08/2024.

That’s why, early in my term, I announced a major plan to provide more than 40 million working- and middle-class Americans student debt relief.  Tens of millions — (applause) — tens of millions of people’s debt was literally about to get canceled, but then some of my Republican friends and elected officials and special interests sued us, and the Supreme Court blocked us. 

[snip]

Well, that didn’t stop us.  No, I mean it sincerely.  We continue to find alternative paths to reduce student debt payments — (applause) — that are not challengeable.

Remarks by President Biden on Lowering Costs for Americans | Madison, Wisconsin. 04/08/2024.

By freeing millions of Americans from this crushing debt of student debt, it means they can finally get on with their lives instead of being put — their lives being put on hold. 

That’s why every American making student loan payments should go to StudentAid.Gov — StudentAid.Gov to learn more about these plans and see if you’re — if — if any of them fit for you. 

Remarks by President Biden on Lowering Costs for Americans | Madison, Wisconsin. 04/08/2024.

From Tuesday…

The video clip is 1 minute and 29 seconds long.

Today, I’m proud to announce five major actions to continue to relieve student debt for more than 30 million Americans since this — I started my administration.

First, my administration will propose a new rule to cancel up to $20,000 in runaway interest for any borrower that owes more now — (applause) — owes more now than when they started paying the loan.  (Applause.)  That make — it’s a big difference. 

And for low- and middle-class families enrolled in my SAVE program, we’ll cancel all of your interest — all of your interest.  (Applause.)   

And second, we plan to cancel student debt for borrowers who still owe student loans even though they started repaying them more than two decades ago.  

Folks, third, we plan to cancel debt for about 2 million borrowers who would be eligible for debt forgiveness through the SAVE program, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or other debt-canceling programs but are not enrolled in these programs.  Some of you are only finding out after the fact, you’re — as you’re a teacher, a firefighter, a cop, that you qualify, but you just didn’t know about it before.  And now people are — but you’re eligible no matter how long it’s been — you’ve been out of the program.

Fourth, we plan to cancel debt for borrowers who the Department of Education determines were cheated by universities that left students with unaffordable loans and delivered little in benefits to students.  (Applause.)

[snip]

And, finally, the Department of Education will propose a new rule to cancel student debt for Americans facing financial hardships, from childcare to healthcare, to [that] prevent them from paying back their loans.  

And over the coming months, the Department of Education will propose and then implement these plans. 

And starting this fall, we plan to deliver up to $20,000 in interest relief to over 20 million borrowers and full forgiveness for millions more.  (Applause.)

Remarks by President Biden on Lowering Costs for Americans | Madison, Wisconsin. 04/08/2024.

From the White House…

04/07/2024:

04/08/2024:

Affordable Connectivity Program Tweet

From Tuesday…

From the FCC…

The ACP Is Winding Down

The Affordable Connectivity Program stopped accepting new applications and enrollments on February 7, 2024. The last fully funded month of the program is April 2024.

FCC.gov.
  • All ACP households enrolled at the time of the enrollment freeze, February 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET, will be able to remain enrolled through the final month of ACP service if they are not required to be de-enrolled under FCC rules.
  • Households that are de-enrolled from the program, such as for failure to use their ACP-supported service, will not be able to re-apply or re-enroll in the ACP during the enrollment freeze.

ACP enrolled households are strongly encouraged to carefully review written notices from their internet company and from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the ACP administrator, about the ACP wind-down.

Households are also encouraged to consult their internet company to learn more about how the end of the ACP will impact their internet service and bill.

FCC.gov.

For more updates about the ACP Wind Down, refer to fcc.gov/ACP and AffordableConnectivity.gov.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was tasked to develop and maintain the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) – a federal program that offers eligible households a discount on their monthly internet bill and a one-time discount off the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet. Over 23 million eligible households are currently enrolled and receiving the monthly discount. However, the $14.2 billion Congress initially made available for the ACP is running out. Due to the lack of additional funding for the ACP, the Commission has announced that April 2024 will be the last month ACP households will receive the full ACP discount, as they have received in prior months. ACP households may receive a partial ACP discount in May 2024. After May 2024, unless Congress provides additional funding, ACP households will no longer receive the ACP benefit and the ACP will end. As a result, the FCC has begun taking steps to wind-down the ACP.

Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the ACP wind-down process (download PDF; preguntas frecuentes sobre el fin del programa ACP – PDF) , along with general FAQs about the ACP.

FCC.gov.

“New” from the White House…

04/04/2024:

04/05/2024:

04/06/2024:

04/07/2024:

04/08/2024:

This is an open thread

About the opinions in this article…

Any opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this website or of the other authors/contributors who write for it.

About Tiff 3038 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.