Biden acts on student loan debt
By TJ Hernandez
Student loan debt plan. President Biden announced his plan to deal with the student loan debt crisis. Those who make under 125K per year and received Pell Grants to go to college will get $20,000 in student loan debt canceled, and everyone else will get $10,000. Additionally, Biden extended the pause on repayments “one final time” through December 31st, as well as a 5% cap of monthly income on repayments once they resume. This is a good first step to deal with the student loan debt crisis, but the Biden Administration needs to do more and cancel the $1.75T that borrowers owe the federal government. In Arizona, around 870,000 borrowers owe an average of about $35K in student loan debt, and millions of families will continue to struggle with this debt when payments begin again next year.
Indigenous Baaja Ádaaní Al Son. Arizona tribal leaders launched a new advocacy group on Thursday called Indigenous Baaja Ádaaní Al Son, the first statewide Indigenous 501(c)4 political organization. Indigenous Baaja Ádaaní Al Son’s mission is to mobilize Native voters and build political power within Native communities. Indigenous voters had significant impact in 2020 when Arizona elected Joe Biden. By reaching out to community members on the unique issues that affect them, such as healthcare and water, and how they are impacted by voting, the group hopes to empower Indigenous people to elect leaders that will be real advocates for the Indigenous community. Read more about the group here.
A win for Arizona’s elections. A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Kari Lake and Mark Finchem to block the use of electronic voting machines in the upcoming November election. The suit was tossed on the grounds that it lacked standing and offered no real reasons for why the machines compromised election integrity. The lawsuit was yet another component of Lake’s, Finchem’s and other MAGA Republicans’ effort to sabotage our elections systems and spread lies about the 2020 election. If the lawsuit had been successful, it would have forced a hand count of all the votes in Arizona.
And a loss. The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that the Arizona Fair Elections Act will not be on the ballot in November, despite signatures from over 475,000 Arizona voters. Far right extremists in our state are doing everything they can to attack our right to vote, and while the Ducey-stacked conservative court’s ruling is a blow, there is more work to be done to protect our right to vote and make our voices heard.
MAGA Republicans takeover. Catch our latest TikTok where we call out the AZGOP and their dangerous agenda.
Phochella is a community arts and culture music festival, focused on joy, activating youth of color, and celebrating the power of the vote. Join us and Fuerte Arts Movement, One Arizona, and Arizona AANHPI for Equity on September 24th, from 4:30 pm to midnight at Rancho Ochoa in Laveen!