1 Biden's Student Loan Plan Blocked Until At Least February
If you’re one of the people struggling with debt and waiting for President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan to go through…you’re going to have to wait a bit longer – at least until February. That’s because SCOTUS has agreed to hear arguments that month - with a decision soon to follow. Meanwhile, everything’s in a holding pattern. To review, a number of states are challenging the program saying Biden’s out of line and doesn’t have the authority to move his plan without Congressional approval. In the meantime, Biden – via Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona – has confirmed that the pause on student loan repayments until 60 days after litigation surrounding the relief plan has been resolved. The idea is that if the forgiveness program hasn’t gotten rolling again by June 30, 2023 repayments will begin on August 29th, 2023.
2 Senate Passes Legislation To Avert Rail Shutdown
The Senate has forced the hand of rail worker unions – and approved legislation to avert a rail strike. The chamber voted 80-15 in favor of the bill that was passed Wednesday by the House. The House voted 290 to 137 — with 79 Republicans joining 211 Democrats — to pass the deal. The measure now heads to President Biden’s desk, where he’s expected to sign. Biden and bipartisan congressional leaders stressed forcing the agreement through was necessary to avoid a major blow to the economy. Biden told reporters yesterday that a strike would have triggered a recession. What held things up? An amendment to add seven days of paid sick leave for rail workers to the agreement. While that went down in flames, Mr. Biden says he’ll continue fighting for paid leave after the agreement is approved. What did rail workers get? 24% pay increases over five years from 2020 through 2024, Immediate payouts averaging $11,000 upon ratification and An extra paid day off.
3 Historic NASA Moon Mission Enters Final Leg Of Journey
NASA's Orion spacecraft is about to make a final pass by the moon on its historic journey before returning to Earth. The Orion capsule is the core of the Artemis One lunar mission and has spent the past 15 days traveling into deep space, making an unprecedented trip beyond the moon. The onboard engine fired up yesterday afternoon to break out the capsule of its current orbital path. The spacecraft is expected to take a final lap around the moon Monday morning, again taking Orion to just over 80 miles above the lunar surface. The capsule is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on December 11th.