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In the News: Trump suspends interest on all federal student loans to ease financial impact of coronavirus

“With so many facing the prospect of lost wages or lost jobs, the government can and should do more than waive interest, which is merely an economic Band-Aid on the gaping financial wound the pandemic is causing,” said Alexis Goldstein, senior policy analyst at the liberal think tank Americans for Financial Reform. “The Education Department has the authority to cancel student debt, and using it would mean both short- and medium-term economic stimulus that helps all Americans.”

a student holding a black backpack standing in front of a brick wall -Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash

Factsheet: Cancel Federal Student Loans to Provide Short and Long-Term Stimulus Amid Pandemic

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating economic impact, Americans for Financial Reform calls on Congress and the U.S. Department of Education to use their authority to cancel federal student loan debt. Cancelling debt would be a powerful and efficient way to immediately relieve pressure on distressed borrowers, boost consumer spending at a time when the economy is contracting, and reduce hardship on people who lose income because of the pandemic and efforts to fight its spread.

Letter to Regulators: AFR Education Fund letter to the CFTC regarding proposed rule on swaps registration thresholds and transaction requirements to cross- border transactions

The Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund wrote a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission urging them to strengthen a proposed rule that would fatally weaken the implementation of Title VII of Dodd-Frank and its application to CFTC-regulated derivatives markets. In the letter, AFR Education

a student with books - Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

News Release: AFR Applauds Senate Vote to stop rollback of Borrower Defense protections

AFR Applauds the Senate vote to block harmful rollback of Borrower Defense protections. Every Senate Democrat voted to roll back the 2019 changes that makes it even more difficult for students at schools that broke the law to get the debt relief they deserve. Joining the Democrats were ten Republicans: Senators John Boozman, Shelley Moore Capito, Susan Collins, Joni Ernst, Cory Gardner, Josh Hawley, Martha McSally, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Dan Sullivan, and Todd Young all voted to reject DeVos’ proposal that gave the green light to bad actors.

us congress building - Photo by Louis Velazquez on Unsplash

Letter to Congress: Oppose Kranbuhl Nomination at Treasury

His career is marred by a record of supporting dangerous deregulatory policies that have left our financial system ill equipped to face the economic challenges it is now confronted by. This includes efforts to weaken the Volcker rule that will further damage the resiliency of major financial institutions and a housing policy that treats market deregulation as the solution to our nation’s housing affordability crisis.

students in graduation cap and gowns - Photo by Caleb Woods on Unsplash

Upcoming Event: Should we Cancel Student Debt?

AFR’s Senior Policy Analyst Alexis Goldstein will be participating in the Debates of the Century @NYU Wagner, a public debate series showcasing thoughtful, informed dialogue from experts. She will be arguing that the government should cancel student debt. The event is co-hosted by The Century Foundation and NYU Wagner.