Free Republic

President Biden’s new student debt relief plan is estimated to cost around $84 billion if it is implemented, according to a Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM) analysis released Thursday. PWBM analyzed the five components of Biden’s proposed plan, totaling the initiatives to $84.06 billion that could be implemented before the November election. The biggest cost of the plan is Biden’s proposal to cancel up to $20,000 for all borrowers who have a balance that has grown due to unpaid interest. Borrowers who qualify for the SAVE plan or other income-driven repayment (IDR) plans would get all of that balance wiped...

The IDF on Friday released exclusive footage of Palestinian Arab terrorists opening fire in the midst of Gazan civilians about an hour before a humanitarian aid convoy entered the area of South Zeytun in the Strip. The Gazan “ministry of health”, which is controlled by Hamas, claimed on Thursday night that it was the IDF that opened fire on the Gazans, killing at least 21 people, but the IDF said those allegations were false. A preliminary IDF investigation into the incident found that Gazan terrorists were, in fact, the ones who opened fire on the civilians waiting for the aid....

Floyd Mayweather felt compelled to help after watching the Hamas terror attack, so the boxing legend arranged to send his private plane, chock-full of supplies, to the front lines in Israel. TMZ Sports is told Floyd, who teamed up with a relief organization in Israel, arranged to send "Air Mayweather" to the Middle Eastern country this weekend ... and deliver supplies. We're told they're planning to bring everything from food and water to bulletproof vests for the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and civilians. Mayweather's pilots, AJ Ramey, Chris Javier, Sam Kniskern, and Freeman Blakney, will be flying the plane as...

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) wrote Monday that it is “unbelievable” that Senate Democrats continue to block disaster relief for Americans unless it is paired with Ukraine aid. “It’s unbelievable that the @SenateDems continue to block disaster relief for American families unless it’s paired with Ukraine aid,” Scott wrote. “@POTUS — put American families first & urge @SenSchumer to immediately schedule a vote for the Federal Disaster Responsibility Act.”

Former President Obama on Tuesday highlighted several organizations providing relief to Maui residents in the wake of last week’s deadly wildfires as he urged people to donate to recovery efforts on the island. “If you’re looking for more ways to support folks in Lāhainā and on Maui, I hope you’ll consider donating to these local organizations that are providing direct support on the ground,” Obama said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will not travel to Maui in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires because they “don’t want to distract” from the ongoing rescue efforts, the VP said today – while at least 1,000 people remain unaccounted for. “We don’t want to distract from the resources that need to go in to the victims of this tragedy, and of course the needs of the first responders have to be able to focus on that issue and not worry about focusing on us [because] we’re there,” Harris told reporters before boarding Air Force Two for Chicago...

The Biden administration has announced that it will provide $39 billion in total student debt relief for 804,000 borrowers, its latest step since President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan was struck down by the Supreme Court. The Education Department said on Friday that the relief is being provided on income-driven repayment plans, in which the federal government cancels remaining balances for the borrower after they have made their payments for 20 or 25 years. The department said the “fixes” will more accurately count monthly payments that qualify under the plans, and it will notify borrowers who are eligible for the...

The Supreme Court is poised to hear back-to-back oral arguments for two student loan-related cases on Tuesday, in what could be the final hurdle for the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan. In August, President Joe Biden announced a program that would forgive up to $20,000 in debt for borrowers with federally held student loans, impacting more than 40 million borrowers. Applications for the program opened in October, but a federal judge in Texas put the program on hold in November, ruling that the program was “unlawful.” In both of the cases heading to the Supreme Court, Biden v. Nebraska—a...

ICYMI: President Donald J. Trump Delivers Hope, Supplies to East Palestine, OhioFebruary 23, 2023FacebookTwitterMar-a-Lago, FL— On Wednesday, President Donald J. Trump visited East Palestine, Ohio to hear from the people of the community and deliver supplies to help those who are still affected by the train derailment. The East Palestine community warmly welcomed President Trump as hundreds of people lined the streets to show their support. President Trump met with local officials and residents from East Palestine. While on the ground in East Palestine, President Trump met with members of the police and fire departments, first responders, local and statewide...

OHIO'S MESSAGE TO TRUMP: 'Thank You for Not Forgetting About Us' [VIDEO]Ohioans are showing their gratitude.While on the ground in East Palestine former President and 2024 candidate Donald Trump was swarmed by residents who just wanted to say “thank you” for showing up.One resident asked Trump’s thoughts on Joe Biden not showing up.“It’s terrible,” Trump says, adding later that FEMA should have shown up a long time ago.Watch the clip above.

Earlier we told you that the mayor of East Palestine, Ohio called President Biden’s trip to Ukraine a big slap in the face, but the area did end up having one presidential visit. Former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump went to East Palestine today and brought a lot of supplies with him. Trump got a warm welcome from the citizens of the town: Donald Trump makes it to East Palestine, Ohio, before Mayor Pete or Biden can find the time to get there. Perfect America first metaphor. pic.twitter.com/cKOh6ghD5Q — Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 22, 2023 This small American...

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MIAMI — Daniela Rendon, 31, of Miami made her appearance in federal magistrate court today and was charged with fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief loans and grants under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Relief Program. According to the indictment, Rendon submitted fraudulent applications seeking COVID-19 relief funds from the Small Business Administration and PPP. She is alleged to have falsified her revenue and payroll and submitted fraudulent IRS tax forms. According to the charges, Rendon received approximately $381,000 in fraudulent funds. To disburse the funds, she is alleged to have enrolled with a payroll processor to...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced what has been described as the “largest tax relief proposal” in the Sunshine State’s history, which includes permanent sales tax relief on baby and toddler necessities, gas stoves, and more. Speaking in Marion County, DeSantis briefly highlighted the state of affairs economically in Florida, noting that the state has one of the lowest per capita tax burdens in the country and no income tax while promising to “keep it that way.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has asked the Biden administration to make federal aid available to California for flood relief, just months after billions of dollars in federal spending compounded the state’s budget surplus. In a statement Sunday, Newsom said that he had requested a federal emergency declaration, which would make federal funds available, in the ongoing deluge that has dropped heavy rains across his drought-stricken state. “I am requesting [Direct Federal Assistance] in order to meet critical emergency protection requirements in the form of personnel, mass care support, mass shelter support, mass evacuation support, equipment, and supplies,” Newsom wrote...

A November slowdown in inflation could give consumers relief both from rising prices and rapidly rising interest rates. Consumer price index (CPI) data released Tuesday by the Labor Department still showed inflation near 40-year highs. But a slower pace of price growth may help Americans catch a break from more than a year of rapid inflation, all while giving the Federal Reserve room to hike interest rates at a slower pace. “Cooling inflation will boost the markets and take pressure off the Fed for raising rates, but most importantly this spells real relief starting for Americans whose finances have been...

Hundreds of Seattle businesses have applied for grants from the city to fix up storefronts damaged by rising crime in Washington state's largest city. According to a report by KING-TV, 430 businesses have applied to receive funds from Seattle’s Office of Economic Development which were made available to help business owners fix property damage that includes broken windows, broken doors, broken locks and etching on windows. Datza Tamane, who owns a yoga studio in Seattle’s East Lake neighborhood, told the outlet she is considering adding her name to the list of businesses after a recent early morning break-in that left...

On Wednesday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) stated that the Federal Reserve doesn’t have any “other choice but to be aggressive” with hiking interest rates in order to control inflation and that inflation has been caused by “factors that are beyond our control, whether it’s COVID relief or a war in Europe,” which means the Fed has to “do a Paul Volcker here and get out ahead of this.” Murphy stated that the recent rate hikes by the Federal Reserve have made the state’s borrowing costs go up, “although, we’ve been very opportunistic...

(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden said in an interview that aired Sunday that the “pandemic is over,” but neither COVID-19 cases nor pandemic-related relief efforts have entirely disappeared. Biden made the remarks during an interview on “60 Minutes,” but as of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” Biden Senior Adviser Gene Sperling responded to questions on when the Inflation Reduction Act is going to work and people will feel real relief on inflation by stating that while there are some provisions of the act that kick in over the next few months, “the overall issue on inflation has to do with much larger forces.” And that “people have felt relief at the gas pump already” and “we think we’re moving in the right direction” on other areas. Host Martha MacCallum asked, “So, give us a sense, if...