The White House was still not over the Build Back Better debacle. Some MAGA advocates in the media also argued that $200 billion in K-12 pandemic aid was not being properly spent. So we wanted to avoid relying on Congress and being accountable for funding.
The president took me to the oval. He looked at me calmly, his youthful energy unmistakable. “Our people are angry. We need to give them more,” he said. “Can we achieve free college? that Will drive all Warren lovers away from me! ”
He paused. “Okay? Can you do that?” he asked, his manly vigor evident in every word.
“Yes, sir,” I promised. “At the end of the day, I think it was Ronald Reagan who said, 'We're government people, and we're here to help.'” You can count on me. “
After the meeting, I spoke with a senior White House aide. She shared her dream that one day the government would overcome its bizarre obsession with balance sheets. Her eloquence still haunts me. “I cry every night,” she said. “For the precious souls who have been forced into the slavery of capitalism as journalists, lawyers, and DEI trainers, whose sacred selves have been tarnished by debt.” She challenged me to find a way forward. . By the time I got back to Maryland 400, I was feeling better.
The White House has made it clear that they will give me free rein as long as I continue to harass charter schools and please the teachers' unions. And I made the most of it. Our senior staff said we don't have the votes to pass Congress because of MAGA Republicans. And our lawyer said we have no further legal recourse. That's when I cracked my fist and thought, “This is why I'm here.” It's time to use my old central office cunning.
We had to navigate obstacles such as Congress, legislation, and budgets. Over the next few weeks, a three-step plan took shape.
Step 1: My team found several sentences in the 20-year-old HEROES Act, which was written to give student loan forgiveness to military personnel who were deployed after 9/11. Well, we took these phrases and pretended they applied to a pandemic (which was still fully, completely raging) and borrowers had to pay back $500 billion in student loans. I said I don't have one. The MAGA Republicans filed a lawsuit, the MAGA Supreme Court had to block us, and the game was on.
Step 2: Once I planted the idea that I could give away free money, I started down two parallel paths. We began to “forgive” borrowers little by little. Billions of dollars thrown here and there didn't seem all that newsworthy compared to Our Heroes' scheme, but it led to the president sending emails offering free money to borrowers. I was able to continue. (That's why he became president.) very Is happy. ) Meanwhile, we will rewrite the Income-Driven Repayment Act to quietly turn student loans into a giant new entitlement that will ultimately allow us to give away trillions of dollars without worrying about Congress or the budget.
Step 3: Congress told us to simplify the Federal Financial Aid Form (better known as the FAFSA). If this worked too smoothly, there was a risk that trust in the old system would become stronger. So we hobbled around for as long as we could and made sure nothing worked when we had to move. All the while, we kept changing the rules about debt collection companies and blaming them for any problems. After all, it was only MAGA types who thought people should pay for college and that loans could or should be paid back.