Obama Issues Executive Order To Ease Student Debt
Obama issues executive order as Senate readies vote on broader student loan reform. W. Post: "Most student-loan borrowers already have the option to limit payments to 10 percent of their income under recent legislation and regulations. Obama’s order on Monday extended that option to about 5 million others who were not covered by the previous changes, including those who took out loans before October 2007 ... Obama has publicly endorsed legislation sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) that would allow students to refinance both public and private loans at lower interest rates. It would be paid for by closing a tax loophole available to the wealthy. Obama lashed out at congressional Republicans for opposing the Warren legislation and for voting to cut federal Pell grants..."
Democrats ready to take issue to voters. The Hill: "The White House and Senate Democrats are seeking to make relief for student loan borrowers a pivotal issue in the 2014 elections ... The twin efforts come amid signs that crushing student loan debt is holding back the economy and preventing people from entering the middle class and buying first homes."
Fresh Pressure On Immigration Reform As Congress Returns
Corporations renew push for immigration reform. WSJ: "There is a window of opportunity for Congress to act on immigration in June or July, though Republican leaders in the House have made no promises. Hoping to prod them, the chief executives of some of the nation’s largest companies wrote a letter Monday urging strong enforcement, including better ways for companies to determine if a potential worker is here legally."
Today's primary in Virginia may send immigration signal, says WSJ: "House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, who goes before GOP primary voters on Tuesday, has faced a sharp attack from his underfunded opponent, who has repeatedly accused him of supporting amnesty for people in the U.S. illegally. Challenger David Brat looks almost certain to lose, but the margin may say something about the potency of the issue and could influence Mr. Cantor’s thinking about whether to move ahead."
Big majority supports citizenship for undocumented. NYT: "While 62 percent of Americans favor a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the United States illegally, Republican voters are sharply split on the issue going into the November elections ... Among Republicans, 51 percent support a path to citizenship. But among Americans who identify with the Tea Party, only 37 percent favor offering citizenship..."
Breakfast Sides
Plan to swap giveaway to multinationals in exchange for highway trust funds roils Senate. NYT: "Mr. Reid and [Sen. Rand] Paul are quietly pressing for a one-time tax “holiday” — a special and lucrative tax deduction — to lure multinational corporations to bring profits home from overseas, producing a sudden windfall ... Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, the Finance Committee chairman, and Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah, the ranking Republican, want that money to help smooth passage of a broad rewrite of the tax code ... The showdown is the first test for Mr. Wyden, as he and other committee leaders try to assert more power against the strong arm of Mr. Reid ... Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, Mr. Reid’s right-hand man in the Democratic leadership but also a Finance Committee member, 'is dubious of simply tying repatriation to a temporary highway funding package because he’s concerned it’s too short term,” said Matt House, a spokesman for Mr. Schumer ... But the needs of the Highway Trust Fund may be more pressing than a rewrite of the entire tax code. And what Mr. Reid wants, he often gets."
Some Dems in tough Senate races embrace Obama climate regs. NYT: "'Coloradans have seen firsthand the harmful effects of climate change, including severe drought, record wildfires and reduced snowpack,' [Sen. Mark] Udall said ... In Iowa, Representative Bruce Braley, the Democratic Senate nominee, has adopted the same approach as Mr. Udall. 'Reducing our carbon output is not only necessary for the health of the planet, it’s an opportunity to continue to improve the health of the Iowa economy...' ... In other states with competitive Senate races, such as Michigan, Democrats say growing public support for action to curb climate change ... could help Democrats this year."
It's not too late to pass long-term jobless aid, says NELP's Judy Conti in Roll Call oped: "Time has now run out, though, on the Senate-passed bill. The May 31 expiration of the five-month compromise extension has now passed, and instead of having allowed a vote, members of the House headed home on yet another recess ... [But] Congress could easily act to restore federal UI benefits retroactive to their expiration on Dec. 29 and ensure that they remain up and running through the end of this calendar year ..."
Vermont goes $10.50. W, Post: "...Gov. Peter Shumlin (D) on Monday signed a bill to increase the minimum wage. The legislation will raise Vermont’s minimum wage from $8.73 an hour, already almost a dollar above the federal minimum, to $9.60 in 2016, $10 in 2017 and $10.50 in 2018. Beginning in 2019, the minimum wage will be indexed to inflation ... Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, West Virginia and the District of Columbia have all passed minimum wage increases this year. The Seattle City Council earlier this month raised their city’s wage to $15 an hour."
