Latest news with #MSAs
New York Post
09-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Hegseth orders service academies to ignore ‘race, ethnicity, or sex' in admissions
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commanded the nation's military academies Friday to stop considering 'race, ethnicity, or sex' in their admissions process, the latest blow by the Trump administration against Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at the Pentagon. 'The Military Service Academies (MSA) are elite warfighting institutions with long histories of producing world class military officers,' Hegseth wrote in the memo to senior Defense Department leadership. 'The Department owes it to our Nation, our Service members, and the young Americans applying to the MSAs to ensure admissions to these prestigious institutions are based exclusively on merit,' he added. 'This ensures only the most qualified candidates are admitted, trained, and ultimately commissioned to lead the finest fighting force in history.' Advertisement 'Selecting anyone but the best erodes lethality, our warfighting readiness, and undercuts the culture of excellence in our Armed Forces.' Hegseth argued that merit-based admissions will improve the military's 'lethality' and 'warfighting readiness.' AFP via Getty Images The directive – aligned with President Trump's January executive order promoting 'meritocracy and … the elimination of race-based and sex-based discrimination within the Armed Forces of the United States' – instructs military academies to 'apply no consideration of race, ethnicity, or sex' and 'offer admission based exclusively on merit' for the 2026 admissions cycle. Advertisement Hegseth notes that MSAs, such as the US Military Academy West Point, the US Naval Academy and the US Air Force Academy, may give weight to applicants with 'unique athletic talent or other experiences such as prior military service.' 'Going forward, MSAs shall rank-order candidates by merit-based scores,' the Pentagon chief said, explaining that the Department of Defense expects only the highest-ranking candidates to receive appointments. 'The Department must remain steadfast in its pursuit of excellence and never compromise the high standards at our MSAs,' Hegseth continued. 'A strong officer corps is essential to ensuring the United States military remains the most lethal the world has ever known.' The nation's military academies were exempted from a 2023 Supreme Court ruling outlawing affirmative action in college admissions. Getty Images Advertisement In 2023, the Supreme Court outlawed the overt consideration of race in higher education admissions in a landmark ruling which struck down affirmative action programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The high court's ruling, however, specifically exempted America's military academies. Under the Biden administration, West Point faced accusations of setting benchmarks for how many black, Hispanic and Asian cadets the institution should admit in each class — discriminating against white applicants in the process. In 2023, West Point touted that minority enrollment in its class of 2027 was roughly 38%, with approximately 14% of the intake Asian American, 11% Hispanic, 10% black, and 1% Native American.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida bill would ban these rent hikes for affordable housing. What to know
Have you ever had a landlord tell you your rent was going up in the middle of your lease? If a bill working its way through the Florida Legislature passes, they may not be able to, but only for low-income households. House Bill 365 blocks landlords who receive federal, state or local incentives for affordable housing from raising rents mid-lease. The restriction applies only to rental agreements of 13 months or less that begin on or after July 1, 2026. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Debra Tendrich, D-Lake Worth, has been approved by the House Housing, Agriculture & Tourism and Civil Justice and Claims subcommittees. It now goes to the House Commerce Committee and then the floor. The Senate version, SB 382, from Sen. Mack Bernard, D-by West Palm Beach, is in the Community Affairs committee. Rents and home prices in Florida have shot up in the last decade, although they have stabilized somewhat in the last couple of years, and housing remains a problem. "Affordable housing" is defined in Florida statutes as housing where monthly rents or mortgage payments — including taxes, insurance, and utilities — do not exceed 30% of area median annual adjusted gross income for low-income households within the state. These rates are determined annually by HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) by county or Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs). In Florida, the current statewide area median income (AMI) for a family of four is $88,600. Over 2.4 million low-income Florida households pay more than 30% of their incomes towards housing, according to a 2024 report from the Florida Housing Coalition. Over half of them — or 1.3 million low-income households — spend more than 50% of their income toward housing costs. "This makes it difficult for those households to save for retirement or emergencies and difficult to afford other necessities such as food and childcare," read an analysis of the bill. Under HB 365, which is only two pages, landlords of units that qualify as affordable housing who have received federal, state, or local funding or tax incentives because of that are prohibited from raising the rent during the term of a rental agreement. Landlords may still raise the rent if: A tenant is renewing their rental agreement The increase is required for compliance with federal laws, rules, or regulations If the Legislature passes it and Gov. Ron DeSantis signs it, the law would go into effect July 1, 2025 for rental contracts that begin on or after July 1, 2026. This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Rent-hike ban in Florida for certain leases may become new law
