Removing vet-debt hurdles

President Donald Trump signed an executive action Aug. 21 that seeks to remove bureaucratic barriers for permanently disabled veterans to qualify for student loan forgiveness, which would save 25,000 wounded warriors an average of $30,000, he said during the American Veterans’ national convention in Louisville, Ky. Trump was joined onstage for the announcement by education secretary Betsy DeVos, and deputy VA secretary James Byrne. The projected savings represent a small fraction of about $1.6T in overall student loan debt in the United States, which has become a point of emphasis by Democrats running for president. While 50,000 permanently disabled veterans are eligible for relief under a decades-old debt forgiveness program, only half (25K) have qualified because of cumbersome requirements by the education and VA departments, according to the White House. (Source: NY Times 08/22/19)