Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

GOP Rep. Whines Student Loan Forgiveness 'Undermines' Military's Effort To Recruit Poor Teens

GOP Rep. Whines Student Loan Forgiveness 'Undermines' Military's Effort To Recruit Poor Teens
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images

Indiana Republican Representative Jim Banks was criticized after he complained about Democratic President Joe Biden's plan to forgive some student loan debt, saying the move "undermines" the military's efforts to recruit young people who are looking for a way to pay for their college education.

Banks joined a chorus of Republicans who have also criticized the proposal, arguing student loan forgiveness would only shift billions of dollars of debt to taxpayers and deal a blow to the economy, a claim that runs counter to data from economists who've noted student debt cancellations would only boost Americans' purchasing power.


Writing on Twitter, Banks declared forgiving student loan debt effectively "undermines one of our military’s greatest recruitment tools at a time of dangerously low enlistments."

The Pentagon spends billions of dollars per year recruiting poor teenagers—predominantly people of color—into military service, breathing life into what's become known as "the poverty draft," which forces individuals from poorer families to enlist in the military to avoid economic hardship.

While there has been no military draft in the United States since 1973, for decades "during both peacetime and periods of conflict, men were drafted to fill vacancies in the armed forces which could not be filled through voluntary means," according to the Selective Service System (SSS).

Banks' tweet angered people who pointed out the Republican Party's members are essentially telling on themselves when they insist poor people should be threatened with mountains of debt unless they feed themselves to the war machine.


Biden's decision has been hailed for helping borrowers with lower credit scores and opening up the opportunity for millions of people to catch up on rent and utility bills as well as save money that would have otherwise gone to their student loans.

The plan forgives $10,000 - $20,000 for individuals making less than $125,000, or couples making less than $250,000. According to the White House, the overwhelming majority of student loan relief will benefit those earning less than $75,000 a year, and no one in the top five percent of wage earners will benefit from the plan.

In his remarks while announcing the decision, Biden said canceling some debt would allow many people to "finally crawl out from under that mountain of debt to get on top of their rent and utilities, to finally think about buying a home or starting a family or starting a business."

More from Trending

Keith Urban; Nicole Kidman
Taylor Hill/WireImage

Keith Urban Has Blunt Reaction To Radio Hosts Asking Rude Question About Nicole Kidman

Country star Keith Urban may be married to one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but that doesn't mean he'll tolerate an invasion of privacy.

The singer had a very clear and blunt response to some radio hosts in his native Australia when they asked a prying question about his wife, Nicole Kidman.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshots from TikTok of users talking about COVID Nimbus variant
@elyse.fox; @flakorub3n_; @jeulz88; @krispyclam/TikTok

Turns Out A Mystery Virus That Feels Like Swallowing Razor Blades Is Just The New COVID Variant

It's hard to believe, but it's been over five years since the terms COVID and coronavirus were introduced to the global public consciousness. The kids who attended much of their first year of high school on Zoom calls have now graduated.

On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) labeled the virus causing the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak "COVID-19"—an abbreviation for COronaVIrus Disease 2019.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less