突如其來的新冠疫情帶來了沉重的一擊——在美國(guó),已經(jīng)造成32.9萬(wàn)人死亡,1865萬(wàn)人感染。全美各地的大學(xué)生在網(wǎng)課和線下授課之間來回切換,也重塑著人們對(duì)高等教育的想象,改變著這一領(lǐng)域的格局。然而,有一項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)卻并未因此而改變:高昂的學(xué)費(fèi)以及不斷增加的學(xué)生貸款。
今年,美國(guó)的學(xué)生債務(wù)打破了紀(jì)錄,首次超過1.7萬(wàn)億美元,同比增長(zhǎng)4%。根據(jù)美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)(Federal Reserve)的數(shù)據(jù),在過去十年中,學(xué)生貸款債務(wù)增加了約102%。
之前的新冠疫情財(cái)政刺激法案暫時(shí)為聯(lián)邦學(xué)生貸款的借款人減免了利息,但12月21日晚上通過的擴(kuò)充條款又停止了這種寬限——這意味著從下個(gè)月開始,將有超過4300萬(wàn)美國(guó)借款人必須開始連本帶息地償還他們的債務(wù)。而現(xiàn)在與今年3月疫情爆發(fā)前相比,又多了1000萬(wàn)的失業(yè)者。在疫情使人們的財(cái)務(wù)狀況陷入困境之前,申領(lǐng)了助學(xué)貸款的年輕大學(xué)生中就只有三成(32%)表示他們能夠過上相對(duì)寬裕的生活。相比之下,在沒有貸款的同齡大學(xué)生中,這一比例為51%。
但民主黨議員和一些倡導(dǎo)組織認(rèn)為,當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)喬?拜登是一個(gè)破局之道。上個(gè)月,包括美國(guó)教師聯(lián)合會(huì)(American Federation of Teachers)和全國(guó)有色人種協(xié)會(huì)(NAACP)在內(nèi)的200多個(gè)組織簽署了一封公開信,要求拜登上任的第一天就采取行動(dòng),利用其行政權(quán)力來免除所有的學(xué)生債務(wù)——進(jìn)步派的議員要求他在上任首日就免掉每位借款人的5萬(wàn)美元債務(wù)。
拜登本人則提出了一個(gè)更為保守的計(jì)劃。在競(jìng)選期間,他就表示希望立法部門可以采取行動(dòng),取消每位借款人1萬(wàn)美元的聯(lián)邦學(xué)生債務(wù)。11月時(shí),他說學(xué)生借款人正在面臨“真正的麻煩”?!八麄儾坏貌辉谥Ц秾W(xué)生貸款和支付房租之間做出選擇。”但是,如果共和黨人繼續(xù)控制參議院,民主黨人根本不可能通過任何立法,而只能夠?qū)⒚鎸?duì)高昂貸款不知所措的學(xué)生留在原地。
在過去的十年中,美國(guó)教育部一直是美國(guó)最大的放貸人和消費(fèi)者的銀行。它目前持有近1.5萬(wàn)億美元的學(xué)生貸款債務(wù)。民主黨立法者認(rèn)為,如果免除部分債務(wù),將刺激購(gòu)房和消費(fèi),也有助于將資金返還給在疫情的經(jīng)濟(jì)沖擊下苦苦掙扎的人們。
拜登真的可以通過行政命令減免債務(wù)嗎?目前還不確定。如果這樣做了,他肯定會(huì)面臨法律挑戰(zhàn)。但也有人認(rèn)為,根據(jù)1965年《高等教育法》(Higher Education Act)中關(guān)于當(dāng)前聯(lián)邦學(xué)生貸款計(jì)劃的規(guī)定,他有權(quán)這樣做。該法律允許拜登委任的教育部部長(zhǎng)“減免,放棄或取消”任何貸款。有一些法學(xué)專家認(rèn)為,這意味著總統(tǒng)能夠通過簽發(fā)行政命令來應(yīng)對(duì)這一問題,但另一些人則認(rèn)為不可以。
在最近的一場(chǎng)Instagram直播訪談中,進(jìn)步派國(guó)會(huì)議員亞歷山大?奧卡西奧?科爾特斯表示,取消學(xué)生債務(wù)“根本不是幻想”,“最重要的是……這可以通過行政命令來完成,即拜登不需要通過參議院共和黨黨魁米奇?麥康奈爾、或由共和黨控制的參議院來寬限人們的學(xué)生貸款。關(guān)鍵是,需要我們推動(dòng)他這么做?!?/p>
盡管如此,目前看來,拜登不太會(huì)在上任的第一天就出臺(tái)可能存在法律風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的措施,而且很可能在他上任后的前一百天內(nèi),任何與減免學(xué)生貸款相關(guān)的爭(zhēng)議都會(huì)被交給美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)決定。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳聰聰
突如其來的新冠疫情帶來了沉重的一擊——在美國(guó),已經(jīng)造成32.9萬(wàn)人死亡,1865萬(wàn)人感染。全美各地的大學(xué)生在網(wǎng)課和線下授課之間來回切換,也重塑著人們對(duì)高等教育的想象,改變著這一領(lǐng)域的格局。然而,有一項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)卻并未因此而改變:高昂的學(xué)費(fèi)以及不斷增加的學(xué)生貸款。
今年,美國(guó)的學(xué)生債務(wù)打破了紀(jì)錄,首次超過1.7萬(wàn)億美元,同比增長(zhǎng)4%。根據(jù)美聯(lián)儲(chǔ)(Federal Reserve)的數(shù)據(jù),在過去十年中,學(xué)生貸款債務(wù)增加了約102%。
之前的新冠疫情財(cái)政刺激法案暫時(shí)為聯(lián)邦學(xué)生貸款的借款人減免了利息,但12月21日晚上通過的擴(kuò)充條款又停止了這種寬限——這意味著從下個(gè)月開始,將有超過4300萬(wàn)美國(guó)借款人必須開始連本帶息地償還他們的債務(wù)。而現(xiàn)在與今年3月疫情爆發(fā)前相比,又多了1000萬(wàn)的失業(yè)者。在疫情使人們的財(cái)務(wù)狀況陷入困境之前,申領(lǐng)了助學(xué)貸款的年輕大學(xué)生中就只有三成(32%)表示他們能夠過上相對(duì)寬裕的生活。相比之下,在沒有貸款的同齡大學(xué)生中,這一比例為51%。
但民主黨議員和一些倡導(dǎo)組織認(rèn)為,當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)喬?拜登是一個(gè)破局之道。上個(gè)月,包括美國(guó)教師聯(lián)合會(huì)(American Federation of Teachers)和全國(guó)有色人種協(xié)會(huì)(NAACP)在內(nèi)的200多個(gè)組織簽署了一封公開信,要求拜登上任的第一天就采取行動(dòng),利用其行政權(quán)力來免除所有的學(xué)生債務(wù)——進(jìn)步派的議員要求他在上任首日就免掉每位借款人的5萬(wàn)美元債務(wù)。
拜登本人則提出了一個(gè)更為保守的計(jì)劃。在競(jìng)選期間,他就表示希望立法部門可以采取行動(dòng),取消每位借款人1萬(wàn)美元的聯(lián)邦學(xué)生債務(wù)。11月時(shí),他說學(xué)生借款人正在面臨“真正的麻煩”?!八麄儾坏貌辉谥Ц秾W(xué)生貸款和支付房租之間做出選擇?!钡?,如果共和黨人繼續(xù)控制參議院,民主黨人根本不可能通過任何立法,而只能夠?qū)⒚鎸?duì)高昂貸款不知所措的學(xué)生留在原地。
在過去的十年中,美國(guó)教育部一直是美國(guó)最大的放貸人和消費(fèi)者的銀行。它目前持有近1.5萬(wàn)億美元的學(xué)生貸款債務(wù)。民主黨立法者認(rèn)為,如果免除部分債務(wù),將刺激購(gòu)房和消費(fèi),也有助于將資金返還給在疫情的經(jīng)濟(jì)沖擊下苦苦掙扎的人們。
拜登真的可以通過行政命令減免債務(wù)嗎?目前還不確定。如果這樣做了,他肯定會(huì)面臨法律挑戰(zhàn)。但也有人認(rèn)為,根據(jù)1965年《高等教育法》(Higher Education Act)中關(guān)于當(dāng)前聯(lián)邦學(xué)生貸款計(jì)劃的規(guī)定,他有權(quán)這樣做。該法律允許拜登委任的教育部部長(zhǎng)“減免,放棄或取消”任何貸款。有一些法學(xué)專家認(rèn)為,這意味著總統(tǒng)能夠通過簽發(fā)行政命令來應(yīng)對(duì)這一問題,但另一些人則認(rèn)為不可以。
在最近的一場(chǎng)Instagram直播訪談中,進(jìn)步派國(guó)會(huì)議員亞歷山大?奧卡西奧?科爾特斯表示,取消學(xué)生債務(wù)“根本不是幻想”,“最重要的是……這可以通過行政命令來完成,即拜登不需要通過參議院共和黨黨魁米奇?麥康奈爾、或由共和黨控制的參議院來寬限人們的學(xué)生貸款。關(guān)鍵是,需要我們推動(dòng)他這么做?!?/p>
盡管如此,目前看來,拜登不太會(huì)在上任的第一天就出臺(tái)可能存在法律風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的措施,而且很可能在他上任后的前一百天內(nèi),任何與減免學(xué)生貸款相關(guān)的爭(zhēng)議都會(huì)被交給美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)決定。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
編譯:陳聰聰
As college students across the country pivot between online and in-person classrooms, reimagining and navigating what the higher education landscape looks like under the weight of a pandemic that has killed over 329,000 Americans and infected 18.65 million more, one tradition remains: hefty tuition rates and ever-increasing student loan debt.
This year, the United States broke records, surpassing $1.7 trillion in student debt for the first time, a 4% increase year over year. In the past decade, student loan debt has increased by about 102%, according to data from the Federal Reserve.
The previous COVID-19 stimulus bill temporarily instated an interest-free payment pause for federal student loan borrowers, but the extension package passed on December 21 night offers no such relief, meaning that starting next month more than 43 million American borrowers will have to begin paying their loans, this time with 10 million fewer jobs than before the pandemic began in earnest this March. Before the financial constraints brought on by COVID-19, just three in 10 young college graduates with student loans (32%) say they are living comfortably. That’s compared with 51% of college graduates of a similar age without outstanding loans.
But Democratic lawmakers and advocacy organizations see a way out through President-elect Joe Biden. More than 200 organizations including the American Federation of Teachers and the NAACP signed an open letter to Biden last month asking him to take action on his first day in office to use his executive authority to cancel all student debt. Progressive lawmakers have asked him to relieve $50,000 in debt per borrower on his first day.
Biden himself has floated a more conservative plan; during his campaign he said he’d like to see $10,000 in federal student debt per borrower canceled through action by the legislative branch. Student borrowers are in “real trouble,” Biden said to press in November. “They’re having to make choices between paying their student loans and paying their rent, those kinds of decisions.” But if Republicans continue to hold the Senate, it’s unlikely that Democrats would be able to pass any legislation at all, leaving students where they were.
The Education Department has been the nation’s largest lender and consumer bank for the past 10 years; it currently owns nearly $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. Democratic lawmakers argue that if some of that debt were forgiven, it would stimulate homebuying and spending and could also help put cash back into the pockets of those dealing with the repercussions of the COVID-19 economy.
There’s also uncertainty over whether Biden could actually pass any debt relief through an executive order (EO). If he did he would certainly face legal challenges. Some argue that he has the authority to do so under the 1965 Higher Education Act, which created the current federal student loan program. The law allows Biden’s education secretary to “compromise, waive, or release” any loans. Some legal scholars say this means the President can issue an EO, while others argue that it doesn’t.
During a recent Instagram Live chat, progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that canceling student debt was “not a pipe dream at all” and that “most importantly…it can be done by executive order, which means that Biden would not need Mitch McConnell or the Republican Senate to forgive people’s student loans. The key is that we need to push him.”
Still, it appears that Biden is not likely to wade into legally challenging legislation during his first day in office, and will probably leave it up to Congress to battle out any student loan debt forgiveness during his first 100 days.