EDUCATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is proposing to tighten the criteria that dictate when former college students who accuse their schools of fraudulent behavior can have their student loans forgiven. The Education Department said the plan is designed to help genuine victims of fraud, while limiting frivolous claims by former students. The plan faces stiff opposition from congressional Democrats and consumer advocates, who have warned that any effort to limit debt forgiveness would limit the legal options of students with debts they can’t afford to repay. Under the plan, the Education Department has proposed two alternative standards, and has said it would welcome comments before it publishes final rules on Nov. 1. Under one option, the department may require students seeking loan relief to be in default, rather than allowing students to apply for forgiveness while they remain in good financial standing. Under the alternative, students would continue to submit ‘affirmative’ claims, though the department would hold those claims to a higher standard. Former students would have to show that their colleges had an ‘intent to deceive’ or showed a ‘reckless regard for the truth’ in their advertising or recruitment efforts.”
–Michelle Hackman and Josh Mitchell, “Trump Administration Proposes Tightening Rules for Forgiving Student Loans,” The Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2018 12:24 pm