The Administration has announced plans to end student loan debt collections contracts with Windham Professionals and Performant Financial Corp. The Education Department said it plans to develop a different approach to collecting defaulted student federal loans in its dismissal of the debt collections agencies. The Washington Post has more information.
Category: Administration
Administration “Rescission” Package Expected This Week
The Trump Administration is expected to send to Congress a “rescission” package this week that would seek about $15 billion in cuts to already approved spending in prior years.
Unhappy about the size of the recently passed FY2018 omnibus spending bill, a group of House conservatives had asked the Administration to take steps to cancel or “rescind” parts of the spending package. While there is some receptivity to the proposal in the House, it is a non-starter in the Senate, in which Senators of both parties would oppose such a move.
In an attempt to placate the conservatives, the Administration is expected to send to Congress this week a package of proposed cuts from prior years, totaling approximately $15 billion. In order for the cuts to be adopted, Congress must agreed to them in 45 days. Although the exact contents of the package are currently unknown, it is believed that none of the programs funded by the omnibus bill would be affected.
Regardless of how Congress officially reacts to the the Administration proposal, the funds for the programs listed for rescission by the Administration would be “impounded,” or frozen, for 45 days.
The Office of Federal Relations will provide updates throughout this process.
Bridenstine Confirmed as NASA Administrator
NASA Administrator Nomination Advances in Senate
The nomination of Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) for NASA Administrator moved forward earlier today after a Senator switched his vote. Initially, the vote to move the nomination forward stood tied at 49 to 49. After a number of conversations, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) changed his vote to a ‘yes’ to move forward on the nomination. The vote cut off debate on the nomination and sets up a final vote.
Immigration Stalled Again
The Senate on Thursday effectively failed to move forward with any of four immigration proposals put forward today. This included a Republican proposal backed by President Donald Trump that would grant 1.8 million “Dreamers” a path to citizenship and provide $25 billion for a border wall and security improvements.
The action came on a 39-60 vote to limit debate on an amendment by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA), to an unrelated bill (HR 2579) related to the Administration’s “Four Pillars” proposal Sixty votes were needed to invoke cloture.
Grassley’s proposal mirrored Trump’s framework to provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers brought to the United States as children in exchange for border security funding. It would also end family-based immigration or “chain migration” and phase out a diversity lottery program. Democrats considered the restrictions on family-based immigration a nonstarter.
The Senate earlier rejected three other immigration proposals, including a bipartisan deal by 16 mostly centrist Senators, calling themselves the “Common Sense Caucus,” that Trump threatened to veto because it did not do enough to limit family-based immigration.
All amendments failed this afternoon.
There was no clear path forward in the House for any of these proposals.