Mitri Shatara

On August 24, President Joe Biden’s administration confirmed what many people have been expecting for months: a debt relief plan to forgive or reduce the debt of millions of federal student loan borrowers.

Federal loans for undergraduate and graduate school are part of the plan.

Private loans won’t be wiped out, only federal graduate and undergraduate loans.

Approximately 43 million Americans have student loan debt, according to data from the federal government. On average, the loans carry a balance of $37,667.

A third of those loans are less than $10,000. Half are less than $20,000.

Under the new plan that President Biden announced, people with an annual income of less than $125,000 a year or less than $250,000 a year as a married couple or head of household could have up to $10,000 of their federal student loan debt forgiven.

For current borrowers who are dependent students, eligibility will be based on their parent’s income. 

If they could get Pell grants, that amount would go up to $20,000.

A pell grant is a special government scholarship for people with low incomes. Currently, they can get up to $6,895 per year for about six years.

Most Pell grants don’t have to be paid back, but most people who get them also take out more student loans.

Parent Plus loans are forgiven under the plan, but only if a family makes less than $250,000. This is the same limit on family income that applies to the rest of the cancellation.

Parent Plus loans differ from federal education loans because they can be used for things besides tuition, like books and room and board.

Debt forgiveness is likely only to help people who already have student loans.

The Federal Office of Student Aid says that if you’ve made payments on your own since March 2020, when charges stopped, you can get a refund for those payments.

Contact your loan officer to ask for a refund.

If you don’t qualify for student debt forgiveness, you still won’t have to pay anything until the end of the year.

The Department of Education is also working on a plan to make it easier for people to repay their loans.

The interest rate will stay at 0% until you start making payments.

Under a change announced in April, people behind on payments before the pandemic will automatically be put back in good standing.

Congress got rid of taxes on loan forgiveness through 2025.

The nonprofit Tax Foundation says some states may tax canceled debt, but it’s unclear if that will happen.

Even though many people liked the debt cancellation plan, it was criticized.

Many people wanted higher amounts to be forgiven, like $50,000.

Some even wanted entire balances forgiven, no matter how big.

New York Federal Reserve reported in April that the total amount owed on federally owned student loans, including those that had been paid off, was $1.38 trillion in December 2021.

Congress has never given the president clear authority to get rid of the debt, so the White House will likely be sued over the plan.

We don’t know how that might change when student loans will be forgiven.

Officials say that the application will be out by the middle of October.

If borrowers enter their email at studentaid.gov, they will get an email when the application is ready. Processing the application is expected to take four to six weeks.

The break in paying back federal student loans ends on December 31.

Once the application form is available, borrowers will have more than a year to fill it out.

The Department of Education already has information about how much money each borrower makes. Therefore nearly 8 million borrowers may automatically qualify for help.

Once loan payments resume, the Department of Education has developed a plan that would cap monthly payments to no more than 5% of a borrower’s discretionary income, which is less than before.

If the plan is accepted, the borrower must apply for it, which could take a year or more.

A government press release says that a single borrower who makes $38,000 a year would pay $31 a month under the plan.

The department plans to raise the amount of income considered non-discretionary.

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References:

https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-program-explained-d248f3b049c292856bb1c74be6aedef2

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2022/08/24/bidens-student-debt-forgiveness-what-to-know/7876380001/

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/aug/24/student-loan-forgiveness-who-qualifies-pell-amount

The largest set of doors in the world rolled up at the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, early on March 17.

The space agency’s newest and most powerful rocket stood in NASA’s largest building, standing about 100 meters tall.

And that rocket, unlike any in the previous 50 years, will deliver passengers to the Moon.

More than 50 years after the last US astronauts visited the lunar surface during the Apollo mission, NASA intends to utilize its new rocket to bring crews back to the Moon.

NASA envisions sending astronauts to the Moon in the future to live and work there for extended periods of time in order to test the technology needed to travel to Mars.

The upcoming campaign is known as Artemis, named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology.

To fly the quarter-million miles to the Moon, astronauts will travel on NASA’s SLS heavy-lift rocket and Orion deep-space spacecraft.

The Artemis program will have a series of missions, starting with Artemis 1. 

To test the Orion module, SLS rocket, and ground systems at the Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will launch an unmanned deep space exploration system — the Orion spacecraft — around the Moon and back.

This mission will lay the groundwork for later missions in the Artemis program.

With an initial launch window set for August 29, September 2 and September 5 are reserved for backup launch windows.

The Space Flight System’s planned launch next week might demonstrate that, despite competition from companies like SpaceX, NASA is still at the forefront of technology for human space exploration.

The SLS was initially ordered by Congress in 2010 and was constructed like the Saturn V used in the Apollo program.

They used contracts with established aerospace firms and private companies as well as commercial companies to exchange reliability for cost savings.

However, SpaceX aims to make its Starship vehicle ready to fly to orbit at some point this year, challenging more established aerospace businesses.

Large payloads, including people, can be transported via that rocket system to distant planets like the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

In many ways, the Elon Musk-founded company has upended the traditional way big exploration programs are done by offering significant cost savings, undercutting legacy aerospace companies.

But at long last, humanity is about to leave low Earth orbit (LEO) again.

Only two dozen astronauts with the Space Agency have achieved that feat, all white men.

Twelve white men stepped on the Moon’s surface during the Apollo Moon landings, which took place between 1969 and 1972.

According to NASA, Artemis will bring a woman and a person of color to the Moon for the first time.

Numerous women of color make up the astronaut corps, including Jessica Watkins, a planetary geologist who launched on her maiden space flight to the International Space Station on April 27.

By 2025, technological advancements from grainy black-and-white film footage could allow us to witness astronauts walking on the Moon once more and in far more clarity.

A whole new generation could see themselves as aspiring astronauts and be motivated to dream big because of the Artemis moon mission and lunar landing.

Science would benefit from the human landing, too.

No humans or landers have ventured to the Moon’s south pole (although several robotic missions aim to get there before Artemis astronauts).

Some portions of the south pole may have been frozen for billions of years because sunlight never touches them.

They might have ice and other uncommon substances on the dry Moon that can be explored during the lunar mission.

Scientists can learn more about the history of the Solar System as a whole, including the history of Earth, by discovering and analyzing these volatile chemicals.

They can also learn more about the formation and evolution of the Moon.

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys

Nasa’s passion is space exploration, our passion is helping injury victims. If you or a loved one has been injured in a personal injury accident, contact our attorneys at 1-800-229-7989 for a free consultation.

References:

https://www.space.com/artemis-1-going-back-to-the-moon

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01253-6

https://www.axios.com/2022/08/23/nasa-artemis-rocket-space-launch-system-launch

U.S. farmers have the chance to actively take part in reducing the impacts of climate change through a variety of initiatives. 

Those initiatives include:

• sequestering carbon in soils through the use of sustainable agricultural practices
• reducing or capturing methane emissions from livestock
• taking action to use nitrogen fertilizer more effectively to reduce nitrous oxide emissions
• reducing emissions by improving their on-farm energy efficiency
• contributing to the production of renewable energy

As part of his proposed American Jobs Plan, President Joe Biden expressly discussed paying farmers to grow cover crops to minimize net carbon dioxide emissions in his address to a joint session of Congress on April 28.

The Inflation Reduction Act, a comprehensive piece of legislation that was just signed into law, features significant climate change elements, such as huge subsidies for electric vehicles and sustainable energy.

However, lawmakers also included more than $25 billion to promote farming methods deemed to be climate-friendly, increase and protect forests, and expand their protection.

These include “cover crops,” plants grown merely to protect the soil, and no-till farming.

Researchers, environmental organizations, and the agricultural sector all agree that encouraging and educating farmers to implement these practices will enhance soil health and water and air quality.

“I think pretty much everyone across the board is pretty happy,” says Haley Leslie-Bole, a climate policy analyst with the World Resources Institute.

Exactly how much these practices will slow global warming and the effects of climate change is unclear.

American farmers have traditionally been compensated for preserving soil and lowering the potential for pollution to spill off their crops.

The new measure increases money for those programs, enabling more farmers to receive a per-acre payout for a variety of practices like no-till and cover crops that are anticipated to lower or sequester carbon emissions.

However, the interaction between plants, which provide organic material to the soil, and microbes and other small organisms, who break down everything they can and occasionally release greenhouse gases, will determine how such activities will alter the soil’s capacity to bind and store carbon.

It can take years for the effects of changes in crop varieties or farming methods to become apparent because those interactions vary greatly depending on the kind of soil and the surrounding environment.

Innovative techniques like rotational grazing and waste management that aid farmers in lowering emissions from livestock operations are also eligible for support under EQIP or CSP.

According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, 686 farms reported using methane digesters to turn animal waste into electricity for use on the farm, which was a 28 percent increase from the 2012 Census.

Under the combined USDA/USDOE AgStar program, farmers can receive planning assistance for installing digester equipment, as well as grants or loans with guarantees under the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

REAP also supports the installation of wind turbines or solar panels, both of which qualify for federal production tax credits.

No-till farming, which is gaining popularity, is another approach that is said to be climate-friendly.

Farmers stop the erosion of the topsoil by not plowing fields.

Additionally, they save money on diesel, which boosts their financial situation and lowers carbon dioxide emissions.

As carbon builds up in the higher root zone, enhancing the soil and assisting in moisture retention may rise crop yields.

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys

Our recent news blogs are meant to keep readers up to date on important information. We provide important general information to people accross the country, but our passion is helping accident victims get the compensation they deserve to help improve their lives after an accident. If you or a loved one was injured in an accident call us for a free consultation at 1-800-229-7989.

References:

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/567762-how-farmers-can-step-up-to-fight-climate-change/

https://www.science.org/content/article/can-farmers-fight-climate-change-new-u-s-law-gives-them-billions-try

The Pentagon denied a request for National Guard support from the District of Columbia in response to what the mayor has dubbed a “rising humanitarian crisis” brought on by thousands of migrants being bused into the city from two southern states.

In Muriel Bowser’s formal request to the White House, the D.C. Armory was mentioned as a logical candidate for a mass housing and processing center.

The formal request also included an open-ended deployment of 150 National Guard personnel daily.

According to a copy of the rejection letter, the Pentagon said it “would not be appropriate” to use the D.C. National Guard and that the Defense Department “cannot fulfill your request.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser reacted to the rejection in a statement on Twitter, saying, “We are going to move forward with our planning to ensure that when people are coming through D.C. on their way to their final destination that we have a humane setting for them.”

Bowser initially requested D.C. National Guard support in late July when she said the city had reached a “tipping point” and needed help with the reception of migrants.

During the spring, in an act of political gamesmanship, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, both Republicans, announced plans to transport busloads of migrants to Washington, D.C.

This was in response to President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw a pandemic-era emergency health order that limited migrant admission numbers.

The migrants are being dropped off at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

 An official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s food and shelter program is providing funding for the migrant problem. They said those funds are sufficient at this point.

A more detailed request, according to Bowser, would assist as the Pentagon seems to be concerned “about the open-ended nature of our request.”

“We want to continue to work with the Department of Defense so that they understand our operational needs and to assure that political considerations are not a part of their decision,” Bowser said.

She added that she believes the” crisis” will only worsen.

With the help of a $1 million grant from FEMA, a coalition of humanitarian organizations has been trying to feed and shelter the migrants.

However, organizers had alerted the public that their people and resources were running low.

The mayor emphasized the necessity of using a government building, like the D.C. Armory, as a “respite center” where refugees can remain until continuing their journey.

According to the mayor, the secretary has “failed to demonstrate an awareness of the pressing personnel and logistical problems that have driven me to make this severe request of our National Guard forces,” she claimed.

The DC National Guard, Bowser said, was “uniquely resourced” to provide logistical support to the city.

As D.C.’s mayor, Bowser lacks the power to personally order the deployment of the National Guard, a situation that has grown more contentious in recent years as a representation of the district’s entrenched status as less than a state.

“We need the National Guard. If we were a state, I would have already done it,” said Bowser.

Her limited authority contributed to the uprising of President Donald Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, in the U.S. Capitol.

Bowser could not send out the district guard immediately when it became evident that the crowds outnumbered the Capitol Police.

Instead, valuable time was lost while the Pentagon examined the proposal, and demonstrators destroyed the building.

Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys

Want to read more article like this? Check out all our recent news blogs. Our attorneys will keep you updated on important information. Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys are dedicated personal injury lawyers that focus on helping victims of accidents caused by negligence. If you or a loved one needs legal guidance after an accident, call our law firm for a free consultation at 1-800-229-7989.

References:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/22/politics/pentagon-rejects-dc-mayor-request-migrants/index.html

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-district-of-columbia-emergency-management-lloyd-austin-muriel-bowser-8bf8a729fbddb20fbec0624703fc5667

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/pentagon-denies-d-c-request-for-national-guard-help-with-migrants-from-texas-arizona/3041409/