Latest news with #GOP-led
New York Post
10 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Biden assistant Annie Tomasini becomes third aide subpoenaed to answer questions on prez's mental decline
WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Tuesday subpoenaed Joe Biden's former deputy chief of staff to answer questions about the 46th president's cognitive decline — and possible abuse of the presidential autopen to approve executive orders and pardons. Annie Tomasini, a longtime aide to Biden who got her career start serving as his press secretary when he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as Delaware's senior senator, will now be deposed Friday after her lawyer requested the official document compelling her appearance. 'With no forewarning, on July 14, your counsel requested a subpoena to compel your appearance on July 18,' the subpoena's cover letter from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to attorney Jonathan Su stated. Advertisement 4 Annie Tomasini, a longtime aide to Biden who got her career start serving as his press secretary when he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as Delaware's senior senator, will now be deposed Friday. AFP via Getty Images It will make her the fifth member of Biden's inner circle to come before the committee — and the third after refusing to do so voluntarily. The retired president was forced out of his 2024 re-election bid by party bosses after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in June of that year, with insiders enraged at Biden's apparent lack of mental acuity in answering key questions about his record. Advertisement Anthony Bernal, the ex-president's current chief of staff and Jill Biden's 'work husband,' will testify Wednesday after also being served a subpoena. Bernal is also being represented by Su. 4 The retired president was forced out of his 2024 re-election bid by party bosses after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in June of that year. AFP via Getty Images Biden's presidential physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, pleaded the Fifth Amendment at his deposition last week and refused to answer questions, including: 'Were you ever told to lie about the president's health?' and 'Did you ever believe President Biden was unfit to execute his duties?' Tomasini's deposition is part of the GOP-led investigation to uncover who shielded the former president from scrutiny about his failing mental acuity — as well as who wielded the now-infamous autopen, a device apparently used to sign off on dozens of executive orders, pardons and sentence commutations. Advertisement Biden insisted in an interview with the New York Times last week that 'I made every decision' about clemency warrants issued during his time in office. The former POTUS then admitted that he had his staff replicate his signature with the autopen because 'we're talking about a lot of people.' 4 With his consent, Biden's team ran the autopen on 25 pardon and commutation warrants from last December through January, granting clemency to thousands of people. Getty Images With his consent, Biden's team ran the autopen on 25 pardon and commutation warrants from last December through January, granting clemency to thousands of people. First family members were also shielded from future prosecution in last-minute pardons on Jan. 19, approved by then-White House chief of staff Jeff Zients. Advertisement Former staff secretary Stefanie Feldman put the official documents through the autopen after receiving similar 'blurbs' or written accounts confirming that Biden gave executive authority to use the device, The Times reported. 4 Because Bernal and Tomasini refused to be interviewed voluntarily, both will only have two options for each question put to them by the committee: provide an answer, or plead the Fifth. Getty Images Because Bernal and Tomasini refused to be interviewed voluntarily, both will only have two options for each question put to them by the committee: provide an answer, or plead the Fifth. Tomasini had previously consented to come before the committee for a transcribed interview, but reneged on her agreement Monday. 'On June 6, your counsel confirmed your voluntary appearance on July 18,' Comer's letter to her attorney noted. Su did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CNBC
14 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
Interest will start accruing again on Aug. 1 for student loan borrowers on the SAVE plan
Roughly 8 million federal student loan borrowers will soon see their debt balances start growing again. Borrowers who enrolled in the Saving on a Valuable Education income-driven repayment plan introduced by former President Joe Biden have been in an interest-free forbearance for about a year. But interest will resume accruing on those loans on Aug. 1, the Department of Education announced on July 9. The move is to comply with a federal court injunction and help bring "fiscal responsibility to the federal student loan portfolio," the department said in its statement. Here's what borrowers need to know. In July 2024, federal judges in two district courts ruled the SAVE plan could not go into effect while they weighed two multistate lawsuits against the Biden administration. The suits allege that Biden didn't have the authority to enact the plan. As a result, borrowers enrolled in the plan were placed in an administrative forbearance, during which no monthly payments were due and no interest accrued while the legal battles played out. In February 2025, a federal appeals court sided with the GOP-led lawsuits and continued the stay on the plan's rollout, although a final ruling on whether the plan can go into effect is still pending. However, President Donald Trump's recently passed spending bill eliminates the SAVE plan by July 2028. "The Department urges all borrowers in the SAVE Plan to quickly transition to a legally compliant repayment plan — such as the Income-Based Repayment Plan," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the July 9 statement. "Borrowers in SAVE cannot access important loan benefits and cannot make progress toward loan discharge programs authorized by Congress." For now, borrowers on the SAVE plan have been moved into a general forbearance and won't have required monthly payments. But their balances will come due, along with all accrued interest, when "the legal situation changes or servicers are able to send bills to borrowers at the appropriate monthly amount," according to Federal Student Aid. A typical borrower could see an extra $300 in interest added to their debt each month with the end of the interest forbearance, an analysis by the Student Borrower Protection Center found. Borrowers can make voluntary interest-only payments without leaving the forbearance, if they're able and want to stay on top of ballooning balances. Additionally, time spent in the general forbearance will not count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness or income-driven repayment forgiveness payment counts. Some borrowers who apply for other income-driven repayment plans may be placed in a processing forbearance while their loan servicer reviews their application. Interest still accrues, but time in this kind of forbearance will go toward forgiveness payment counts. Processing forbearances are not to last more than 60 days. After 60 days if the servicer is still processing the IDR application, the borrower may be placed into a general forbearance as described above. The Department of Education is encouraging borrowers enrolled in the SAVE plan to apply for a different "legal" repayment plan. The application for the income-based repayment, Pay As You Earn and income-contingent repayment plans has been available since March 26, 2025, according to FSA. It may take some time to actually enroll in a one of these IDR plans, though. There is a backlog of IDR applications the Department of Education says it is working through, but some borrowers report waiting nearly a year to enroll, according to the Student Borrower Protection Center. Once you submit an IDR application, contact your loan servicer immediately to ensure you are placed in the processing forbearance, Aissa Canchola Bañez, policy director at SBPC, says. Borrowers should also be aware they will not be able to remain in the ICR or PAYE plans after July 1, 2028, as Trump's spending bill also sunsets those repayment plans. Borrowers who don't select another plan by July 2028 will be automatically moved into the forthcoming Repayment Assistance Plan. The Department of Education encourages borrowers to enroll in the IBR plan until RAP becomes available, by July 1, 2026, it said in a statement.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Whitney Hermandorfer, Trump's First Judicial Pick of Second Term, Approved
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's first judicial nominee of his second term, approving Whitney Hermandorfer to serve on the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The 46–42 vote fell strictly along party lines. Hermandorfer previously served as director of strategic litigation for the Tennessee attorney general, where she defended several of Trump's policies, including efforts to end birthright citizenship and support for the state's near-total abortion ban. Hermandorfer's confirmation underscores Trump's continued effort to shape the federal judiciary, a campaign that defined much of his first term. Under Trump's previous administration, the Republican-controlled Senate confirmed 234 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices. Democrats responded during President Joe Biden's term by confirming 235 judges of their own — a record that Trump is now seeking to surpass. Whitney Hermandorfer of the Tennessee Attorney General's Office speaks before a panel of judges, April 4, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Whitney Hermandorfer of the Tennessee Attorney General's Office speaks before a panel of judges, April 4, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Associated Press Unlike the start of his first term, when Trump inherited more than 100 judicial vacancies due to the GOP-led Senate's obstruction during President Barack Obama's final years, he now faces a slimmer number — 49 vacancies out of nearly 900 federal judgeships. Still, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has vowed to press ahead with confirmations, noting that although there are fewer openings this time, the Republican-led Senate will prioritize moving nominees swiftly. Critics of Hermandorfer's nomination have pointed to her limited courtroom experience — she graduated from law school just ten years ago — and what they view as a deeply ideological background. Her record drew sharp criticism from Democrats and progressive legal groups, who labeled her views extreme and pointed to her office's defense of Tennessee's stringent abortion ban. Prior to that role, Hermandorfer clerked for three U.S. Supreme Court justices. At her confirmation hearing, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) questioned her qualifications, citing the "striking brevity" of her litigation record. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, accused Trump of valuing personal loyalty and political alignment over judicial independence. The Judiciary Committee is also preparing to vote on additional nominees, including Emil Bove, a senior Justice Department official and former Trump attorney nominated for the Third Circuit. Bove's nomination has drawn scrutiny following allegations from a whistleblower who claimed Bove suggested the administration might need to defy judicial rulings. Bove has denied the accusation and instead criticized the FBI for "insubordination," claiming agents refused to identify those involved in the Capitol riot investigation and that he dismissed prosecutors tied to the Jan. 6 cases. This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Politico
a day ago
- Business
- Politico
House Democratic leaders won't whip against crypto bills
House Democratic leaders will not whip against the landmark cryptocurrency bills that will be on the floor later this week despite opposition from the party's top member on the Financial Services Committee. The decision highlights an ongoing split on the left over the risks and rewards of digital assets. A notice sent to Democrats on Monday by Whip Katherine Clark 's office, which was obtained by POLITICO, sharply criticized both a crypto market structure bill and a Senate stablecoin measure that the lower chamber is slated to vote on, but did not tell members how to vote. The industry-backed bills are poised to split Democrats on the House floor. Financial Services ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has sought to rally opposition to the bills, saying they pose a risk to the financial system and would enable corruption by President Donald Trump, whose family runs several crypto ventures. But other Democrats are on board with the GOP-led pro-crypto push, and Republicans are scrambling to win as much bipartisan support as they can before floor votes on Wednesday and Thursday. The market structure bill, led by Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.), 'has a number of oversights and omissions that, when coupled with the actions of the Executive Branch, raise significant and long-term issues that may undermine the possibilities of new technologies,' Clark's whip notice said. It also noted that Waters 'strongly opposes this bill as written.' Hill's bill, which is expected to be on the floor Wednesday, seeks to divvy up oversight of digital assets between securities and commodities regulators and is the centerpiece of the GOP's crypto policy agenda. It faces an uncertain future in the Senate, despite Banking Chair Tim Scott 's pledge to advance a crypto market structure bill in September. Democratic leaders also did not whip against an earlier GOP-led crypto market structure bill that got 71 Democratic votes on the House floor last year. The House will vote Thursday on bipartisan Senate legislation that would create new, light-touch rules for so-called stablecoins, which are pegged to the value of the dollar. That bill is poised to become the first major crypto law enacted by Congress after House Republicans opted to accept the Senate's approach. 'While this bill moves in the direction of greater regulation, there are no community reinvestment requirements, no third-party vendor federal oversight, and weak federal oversight of stablecoin issuers licensed by states or overseas — unlike regulations governing the banking industry,' the whip notice said of the stablecoin bill. 'In addition, this bill still narrowly permits private commercial companies (e.g., Elon Musk's X) to issue stablecoins, jeopardizing a decades-old separation of banking and commerce created to prevent consolidations of economic and political power.' Waters, who has dubbed this 'anti-crypto corruption week,' is focusing heavily on concerns about Trump's crypto business entanglements in her own whipping efforts. Her office hosted a Democratic staff briefing Monday afternoon featuring a roundtable of consumer advocates. Clark's whip notice also did not provide a vote recommendation for a third crypto measure the House is taking up this week that would ban a central bank digital currency in the U.S., though the vote on that bill is expected to be more partisan.
CNBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CNBC
Trump to end student loan payment pause: Borrowers have ‘a short window' to act, advocate says
Millions of federal student borrowers whose loans have been in an interest-free pause will see that relief come to an end within weeks. The Trump administration announced on July 9 that the so-called SAVE forbearance will expire on Aug. 1, and that enrollees' education debts will begin to grow again if they don't make payments large enough to cover the accruing interest. More from Personal Finance:Trump's 'big beautiful bill' slashes CFPB funding78% say Trump's tariffs will make it harder to deal with debtTax changes under Trump's 'big beautiful bill' — in one chart Nearly 7.7 million federal student borrowers enrolled in the Biden-era Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan, the Education Department said in its press release earlier this month. "There is a short window before interest begins to accrue again for SAVE Plan borrowers, and they need to set aside some time to decide on their next steps," said Elaine Rubin, director of corporate communications at Edvisors, which helps students navigate college costs and borrowing. Here's what borrowers need to know about the end of the payment pause. Former President Joe Biden rolled out the SAVE plan in the summer of 2023, describing it as "the most affordable student loan plan ever." But millions of borrowers who signed up for the plan were caught in limbo after GOP-led lawsuits led to a block on the plan last year. The Biden administration put these borrowers in a forbearance while the legal challenges played out, and stopped interest from accruing on people's debts in the meantime. Forbearances are a period during which federal student loan borrowers are excused from making payments. The Trump administration has called the SAVE plan illegal. In the announcement ending the pause, it said the Education Dept. "lacks the authority to put borrowers into a zero percent interest rate status." The Biden administration "invented a zero percent 'litigation forbearance,' forcing taxpayers to foot the bill," the Education Dept. wrote. Borrowers enrolled in the forbearance will not be charged interest retroactively, the department said. Because the SAVE plan is no longer available and its interest-free forbearance is ending, borrowers need to move quickly to find a new repayment plan, experts said. Unfortunately, the options are limited. Currently, there is only one income-driven repayment plan available to borrowers: the Income-Based Repayment plan, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. (Income-driven repayment plans cap borrowers' monthly bills at a share of their discretionary income, with the aim of making payments affordable.) President Donald Trump's "one big beautiful bill" establishes another IDR repayment plan, known as RAP, but that plan won't be operational until next year. "The Department urges SAVE borrowers to consider enrolling in the Income-Based Repayment Plan authorized under the Higher Education Act until the Department can launch the Repayment Assistance Plan," the agency said in its release.
