President Donald Trump has signed an executive order forgiving all student loan debts for permanently disabled veterans of the U.S. military.
According to Fox News, the order was signed yesterday (Wednesday, August 22, 2019), following Trump’s speech at the American Veterans National Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. As per reports, the order will also make eligible veterans exempt from paying federal income tax on the loans.
Upon signing the order, Trump said: “The debt of these disabled veterans will be completely erased. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars of student loans debt for our disabled veterans that will be completely erased.”
In a tweet, Trump declared it “an honor” to pass the order, proceeding to express his gratitude for all those who have served.
It was my honor to sign a Presidential Memorandum facilitating the cancellation of student loan debt for 25K of our most severely disabled Veterans. With today’s order, we express the everlasting love & loyalty of a truly grateful Nation. God bless our Vets, & God Bless America! pic.twitter.com/MMMsX3RDQM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2019
As it stands, roughly half of the estimated 50,000 disabled veterans have received the benefit of having their federal student loan debt forgiven. This is thought to be due to the lengthy application process, though under the new order Trump has directed the government to forge an “expedited” process with “minimal burdens.”
A welcome change
Fox state that under the current rules, disabled veterans can have their debt forgiven under a program known as “Total and Permanent Disability Discharge”, so long as they have a VA service-connected disability rating of 100 percent.
It should go without saying that our military veterans deserve the very best care and respect from us all.
I will never complain that who have risked their lives for the continued freedom and safety of our nation are afforded kindnesses and small perks in return for their sacrifices.
Do you think this new order is a step in the right direction for our veterans?
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