Common
04-17-2015, 04:03 AM
This isnt a Dem or Republican issue, everyone should be pissed at this. Troops are there for all of us and if any group of americans have earned fair treatment its them.
The U.S. Department of Education is nearing a deal with Navient Corp., the student loan giant formerly known as Sallie Mae, over allegations the company cheated active-duty troops on federal student loans, a department official said Thursday.
The agreement likely would end the Education Department's much-delayed and heavily-criticized probe into whether the nation’s largest student loan specialist -- a major government contractor -- broke the law that caps interest rates and provides other special financial protections for active-duty members of the military.
Thomas Skelly (http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/skelly.html), the department’s acting chief financial officer, told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday (http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/webcast/labor-hhs-subcommittee-hearing-fy16-budget-request-us-department-education) that the Education Department was “finalizing” an agreement with Navient that would be completed by May 1.
Denise Horn, an Education Department spokeswoman, declined further comment. Patricia Christel, a Navient spokeswoman, didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.
For a department that has been called a lapdog (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/06/elizabeth-warren-education-department_n_4398107.html) in holding its contractors accountable -- especially one that’s been called out (https://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2014/06/09/president-obama-speaks-student-loan-debt#transcript) by President Barack Obama over its customer service -- the settlement risks inflaming Democrats and student advocates who have badgered the Education Department to take a tougher line against corporate wrongdoing.
“I continue to be deeply concerned about the allegations that a student loan servicer knowingly overcharged service members while they were on active duty,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who along with other Senate Democrats has made student debt central in their economic and political agenda. “This is an issue I’m going to continue to be focused on to make sure our men and women in uniform are treated fairly [and] can continue their education without the fear of predatory practices.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/16/navient-military-settlement_n_7082944.html
The U.S. Department of Education is nearing a deal with Navient Corp., the student loan giant formerly known as Sallie Mae, over allegations the company cheated active-duty troops on federal student loans, a department official said Thursday.
The agreement likely would end the Education Department's much-delayed and heavily-criticized probe into whether the nation’s largest student loan specialist -- a major government contractor -- broke the law that caps interest rates and provides other special financial protections for active-duty members of the military.
Thomas Skelly (http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/skelly.html), the department’s acting chief financial officer, told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday (http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/webcast/labor-hhs-subcommittee-hearing-fy16-budget-request-us-department-education) that the Education Department was “finalizing” an agreement with Navient that would be completed by May 1.
Denise Horn, an Education Department spokeswoman, declined further comment. Patricia Christel, a Navient spokeswoman, didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.
For a department that has been called a lapdog (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/06/elizabeth-warren-education-department_n_4398107.html) in holding its contractors accountable -- especially one that’s been called out (https://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2014/06/09/president-obama-speaks-student-loan-debt#transcript) by President Barack Obama over its customer service -- the settlement risks inflaming Democrats and student advocates who have badgered the Education Department to take a tougher line against corporate wrongdoing.
“I continue to be deeply concerned about the allegations that a student loan servicer knowingly overcharged service members while they were on active duty,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), who along with other Senate Democrats has made student debt central in their economic and political agenda. “This is an issue I’m going to continue to be focused on to make sure our men and women in uniform are treated fairly [and] can continue their education without the fear of predatory practices.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/16/navient-military-settlement_n_7082944.html