Monthly Archives: October, 2021

(The Center Square) – None of the mayors who’ve received subpoenas as part of the investigation into Wisconsin’s 2020 elections have said they will ignore them.

The mayors of Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Racine, and Kenosha – the so-called Wisconsin Five – on Wednesday criticized the subpoenas from former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Mike Galbeman. But all said they would testify and produce at least some of the documents he’s asking for.

"We’re very very proud of the work we did here in the city of Milwaukee,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “I am happy to discuss what we did here because I think it was good for democracy, the steps that we took and I thought it was responsible and very transparent."

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said the investigation is “corrosive to our democracy,” but she pledged to testify for Galbeman in two weeks.

“Our poll workers and clerk do an incredible job and they should be thanked, not harassed,” Rhodes-Conway said.

Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian said his city already won one legal challenge to the 2020 vote.

"To do it again is a colossal waste of time and money for the city of Kenosha,” he said.

Gableman is asking for any and all communication between the mayors in the five cities and the Mark Zuckerberg-funded Center for Tech and Civic Life.

The group spent millions in each of the five cities to help “get out the vote,” but a number of reports suggest that CTCL went much further than that.

Gableman has said he’s not looking to overturn the 2020 election. He’s said he simply wants to find out what happened, and whether anything went wrong.

(The Center Square) – A federal student loan forgiveness program aimed at helping out public servants is getting an overhaul after media reports exposed major problems with the program.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program will undergo an overhaul to make sure more public servants, including members of the military, receive taxpayers funds to help them repay their debts.

The announcement comes just a few days after media reports, including a CBS “60 Minutes” investigation, showed that military members were frustrated with the program for its complex requirements and complicated approval process that prevented many from receiving the benefits. The program drew national attention when it was reported that 98% of applicants were denied.

"This is an entire system who let down our men and women in uniform," said Seth Frotman, head of the Student Borrower Protection Program.

Congress enacted the program in 2007 as a way to reward those who were public servants for over ten years, but has been marked by bureaucratic difficulties and failure to deliver on its promises.

“This policy will result in 22,000 borrowers who have consolidated loans – including previously ineligible loans – being immediately eligible for $1.74 billion in forgiveness without the need for further action on their part,” the Department of Education said in its announcement. “Another 27,000 borrowers could potentially qualify for an additional $2.82 billion in forgiveness if they certify additional periods of employment. All told, the Department estimates that over 550,000 borrowers who have previously consolidated will see an increase in qualifying payments with the average borrower receiving another two years of progress toward forgiveness.”

The agency said it will streamline the process and lessen requirements for applicants, meaning some previously rejected applicants can now be accepted.

“Many more will also see progress as borrowers consolidate into the Direct Loan program and apply for PSLF, and as the Department rolls out other changes in the weeks and months ahead,” the agency said.

The program revamp comes after the Biden administration announced student debt forgiveness for the disabled earlier this year.

The Department of Education announced in August that 323,000 borrowers who are totally and permanently disabled will see $5.8 billion in student debt “discharge.”

"From day one, I've stressed that the Department of Education is a service agency,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said at the time of the announcement. “We serve students, educators, and families across the country to ensure that educational opportunity is available to all. We've heard loud and clear from borrowers with disabilities and advocates about the need for this change and we are excited to follow through on it. This change reduces red tape with the aim of making processes as simple as possible for borrowers who need support."

This action is one of several regulatory maneuvers Biden’s Department of Education has conducted to relieve student debt even as the president has so far held off on a more sweeping student debt forgiveness advocated for by some Democrats.

“With this TPD action, the Biden-Harris Administration has now approved approximately $8.7 billion in student loan discharges for roughly 455,000 borrowers,” the agency said. “In late March, the Department restored $1.3 billion in loan discharges for 41,000 borrowers who had seen their loans reinstated after not responding to requests for earnings information. Since March 2021, the Department has also approved more than $1.5 billion in discharges through the borrower defense to repayment process for nearly 92,000 borrowers whose institutions took advantage of them. In addition, the Department has extended the pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections, to January 31, 2022, which helps 41 million borrowers save billions of dollars a month.”

Biden has received heavy pressure from progressives in his own party, including his own Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to take executive action to forgive up to $50,000 in student loan debt per person, a plan that would cost American taxpayers $1 trillion, according to Brookings.

"That sacred promise that if you work hard, if you play by the rules, one day, you're going to make it here in America," Schumer said. "For too many, that dream sadly seems like a fantasy. Students don't need their debts paused – they need it erased."

(The Center Square) – A new FBI focus on parents accused of harassing school officials around the country over curriculum and COVID-19 policies is being criticized by Republican lawmakers as government overreach and an attempt to curb speech rights.

Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Tuesday night that he has directed the FBI to look into parents who have protested at local school board meetings around the country, calling it a "disturbing trend."

Debates over critical race theory, COVID-19 mandates, transgender policies, and other issues have embroiled many local districts in controversy. The tension has led to many raucous school board meetings nationwide.

Garland said in his memorandum that the debates have led to threats of violence against school officials.

But Republicans, in sharp reaction to the news, called the attorney general's response a “dangerous abuse of power.”

“Now Joe Biden is deploying the FBI against parents who have concerns about Critical Race Theory being taught to their children,” U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said. “This is a remarkable and dangerous abuse of power. I just asked the Biden DOJ to name one instance in American history when the FBI has been directed to go after parents attending school board meetings to express their views. There isn’t one. Biden’s latest offensive against parents is shocking, unprecedented and wrong.”

The Department of Justice said it will “launch a series of additional efforts in the coming days designed to address the rise in criminal conduct directed toward school personnel.”

"Those efforts are expected to include the creation of a task force, consisting of representatives from the department’s Criminal Division, National Security Division, Civil Rights Division, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, the FBI, the Community Relations Service and the Office of Justice Programs, to determine how federal enforcement tools can be used to prosecute these crimes, and ways to assist state, Tribal, territorial and local law enforcement where threats of violence may not constitute federal crimes,” the DOJ said in a statement. “The Justice Department will also create specialized training and guidance for local school boards and school administrators.”

Other lawmakers have claimed the Biden administration is attempting to silence parents, many of whom are conservative.

“It is outrageous that DOJ leadership thinks it is acceptable to use the FBI to intimidate parents who are concerned about what their children are being taught and are exercising their 1st Amendment rights,” U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., said.

Garland said the FBI investigation is aimed at keeping schools safe.

“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” Garland said. “Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”

Republican lawmakers at the state and federal level vowed to fight against the Biden administration's efforts.

“Attorney General Garland is weaponizing the DOJ by using the FBI to pursue concerned parents and silence them through intimidation,” said Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is considered a top contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. “Florida will defend the free speech rights of its citizens and will not allow federal agents to squelch dissent.”