White House Aims for Bio-defense ‘Moonshots’ in New Strategy
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a new biodefense strategy intended to help protect the United States from future biological threats and mitigate the effects of pandemics and communicable diseases. As part of that strategy, the administration is requesting $88 billion in pandemic preparedness over the course of the next five years, in part to fund new research to predict outbreaks before they become pandemics, accelerate rapid testing to get ahead of where viruses are moving, and to bring the timeline for developing vaccines down to three months. A senior administration official speaking to reporters before the announcement described it as a series of “moonshots” and acknowledged that “the science and technology goals layout timelines that are not possible today, but these capabilities can be achieved and are within our reach with the right resources over the next five to 10 years.” Meeting some of those targets will require scaling up data collection efforts at research facilities around the globe. ( Nextgov - Oct. 18, 2022)
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Biden to Call Out Republicans for Attacks on Student Loan Forgiveness Plan
President Biden on Friday will blast Republican lawmakers for attacks on his student loan forgiveness plan in remarks at Delaware State University. The plan, unveiled in August, has been faced with multiple lawsuits, as well as criticism from Republicans over how much it will cost taxpayers. Biden will give an update on the launch of the plan on Friday “on the heels of multiple courts rejecting attempts by Republican officials to block the Biden Administration’s student debt relief plan,” the official said. Applications officially opened on Monday and, as of Tuesday, 12 million Americans had applied for forgiveness. On Thursday, Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied an emergency bid by a group of Wisconsin taxpayers for the Supreme Court to block the program by ruling that the cancellation plan illegally encroaches on Congress’ exclusive spending power. Also, a federal judge dismissed a legal challenge from six Republican-led states to the plan, ruling that they do not have standing to sue. ( The Hill - Oct. 21, 2022)
***See also, the following related news item:
- Biden’s Finally Talking About Student Debt Relief—Weeks Before Midterms - Bloomberg - Oct. 21
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Biden Administration Alerting Borrowers in Line for Automatic Student Debt Relief
The Education Department has begun notifying an estimated 8 million student loan borrowers of their eligibility to have up to $20,000 of their loans automatically canceled under President Biden’s debt relief plan. Those borrowers, whose income information the department has on file, will not have to apply like the vast majority of people seeking to have their debts canceled. They either recently filled out the federal financial aid form, or FAFSA, or are enrolled in an income-based loan repayment plan. Eligible borrowers will receive an email from the Education Department with more information. Anyone eligible for automatic relief can opt out of the debt cancellation program, and the department is encouraging people who wish to do so to contact their loan servicer before Nov. 14. The agency expects to begin processing relief after that date. Borrowers eligible for automatic relief can fill out an application if they want the cancellation processed sooner. ( The Washington Post - Oct. 18, 2022)
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Senate Democrats Want For-profit Leaders Held Liable
Several Democratic senators want the U.S. Department of Education to hold for-profit college executives personally liable for student loans discharged because of an institution’s misconduct. Senators Dick Durbin and Elizabeth Warren, along with several others—all Democrats— sent the letter. They requested an accounting of the government’s losses in connection with approved borrower-defense claims for students at Corinthian Colleges, ITT Technical Institute and several other for-profit institutions, along with the total amount recovered from an individual executive, owner or board member and answers to four other questions. As the department has increased its oversight of for-profit colleges in recent years, discharging billions in loans from students who said they were deceived by their colleges, it has not used its authority outlined in the Higher Education Act of 1965 to seek reimbursement, according to the letter. ( Inside Higher Ed - Oct. 19, 2022)
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Immigrant Advocates Feel Abandoned as They Stare at Biden’s First-term Checklist
Immigrant advocates are still waiting for their moment. Nearly two years into the Biden administration, having watched many of their progressive brethren score significant and historic breakthroughs on their respective causes, they’re getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of action on theirs. And a bit jealous too. The president did send a comprehensive immigration bill to Congress on his first day in the White House. But progress on the legislative front has been absent since. Much of the bottleneck for the White House—and, in turn, the source of some of the tension over immigration priorities—revolves around the uncertain status of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Immigrant advocates in Congress are demanding with greater urgency that the Biden administration work to pass permanent protection for DACA recipients, including a pathway to citizenship. ( Politico - Oct. 20, 2022)
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Office Hours Starting this fall, the Office of Federal Relations will begin offering general inquiry sessions, or “Office Hours,” several times per month for the Vanderbilt community via Zoom. If you have a question for our office or want to learn more about how we can collaborate, please schedule a time with us. Either Associate Vice Chancellor Christina West or Associate Director Heather Bloemhard will join the virtual meeting.
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