State Republican-Led Financial News

Department of Education has taken down applications for all income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, which are designed to keep monthly payments manageable and provide a pathway to eventual loan forgiveness. The move affects four popular IDR programs: Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), and the new SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) plan introduced by the Biden administration in 2023. These plans base payments on a borrower’s income and family size, with remaining balances forgiven after 20 or 25 years. The department did not make a formal announcement about the removal of IDR applications, instead posting a brief notice on its website. The lack of communication has led to widespread confusion, with borrowers and advocates scrambling for clarity.

income-driven repayment plans used by millions of student loan borrowers. The American Federation of Teachers in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington late Monday took aim at the Education Department's decision last month to halt borrowers' ability to enroll in the affordable repayment plans. The department made the change after a federal appeals court ruled that Democratic President Joe Biden's administration lacked authority to pursue a student debt relief program designed to lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers and speed up loan forgiveness for some. The court's decision, issued after Biden left office, had set back his administration's efforts to address what his White House described as a broken student debt system that can financially burden Americans seeking higher education. The Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan provided more generous terms than past income-based repayment plans, with monthly payments dropping for some borrowers to as low as $0. It also provided debt forgiveness for some smaller loans in as few as 10 years.

The European Union launched countermeasures on Wednesday against new U.S. metals tariffs, with plans to impose its own duties on up to €26 billion (US$28.3 billion) worth of American goods.

Higher Education Act.

Small businesses are still not required to register with an agency called the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN — for now

The Supreme Court has revived a requirement that owners of millions of small businesses register with an arm of the Treasury Department under an anti-money laundering law

Inauguration Day 2025 marks a unique occurrence in the United States. Flags will either fly at half-staff to mourn former President Jimmy Carter or be raised to full-staff to honor the peaceful transition of power as Donald Trump assumes the presidency.

The Supreme Court has allowed a Biden administration rule aimed at limiting planet-warming pollution from coal-fired power plants to remain in place as legal challenges play out

President Joe Biden’s latest attempt at student loan cancellation is free to move ahead, at least temporarily, after a judge in Georgia sent a legal challenge to Missouri

Donald Trump says that, if he wins a second term, he wants to make IVF treatment free for women, but did not detail how he would fund his plan or precisely how it would work. «I'm announcing today in a major statement that under the Trump administration, your government will pay for — or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for — all costs associated with IVF treatment,» he said at an event in Michigan. «Because we want more babies, to put it nicely.» IVF treatments are notoriously expensive, and can cost tens of thousands of dollars for a single round. Many women require multiple rounds and there is no guarantee of success.

The Supreme Court is keeping on hold the latest multibillion-dollar student debt relief plan from the Biden administration, while multiple lawsuits make their way through lower courts

A federal appeals court is allowing a Biden administration rule aimed at limiting planet-warming pollution from coal-fired power plants to remain in place as legal challenges continue

The Biden administration is cancelling an additional $1.2 billion in student loans for borrowers who work in public service through changes to an existing forgiveness program

Biden administration's student debt relief plan, which would have lowered monthly payments for millions of borrowers. In a ruling Thursday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion for an administrative stay filed by a group of Republican-led states seeking to invalidate the administration's entire student loan forgiveness program. The court's order prohibits the administration from implementing the parts of the SAVE plan that were not already blocked by lower court rulings. The ruling comes the same day that the Biden administration announced another round of student loan forgiveness, this time totaling $1.2 billion in forgiveness for roughly 35,000 borrowers who are eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

A lawsuit challenging a Biden administration rule permitting socially conscious investing by employee retirement plans will test the courts’ approach to federal regulations following a pivotal Supreme Court decision.

A Louisiana judge says the Biden administration can't delay consideration of projects aimed at exporting liquefied natural gas while a legal challenge plays out in federal court

The Supreme Court is putting the Environmental Protection Agency’s air pollution-fighting “good neighbor” plan on hold while legal challenges continue

The Supreme Court has sided with the Biden administration in a dispute with Republican-led states over how far the federal government can go to combat controversial social media posts on topics including COVID-19 and election security

Middle and high school students across the United States are taking ownership of their history educations through a nonprofit that encourages young people to rigorously examine the past

A federal appeals court has upheld California's authority to set its own nation-leading vehicle emission standards that are the strictest in the country

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday said it would pause the implementation of its new climate disclosure rule while it defended the regulation in court