Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-chairs Rep. Ellison and Rep. Grijalva Along With Rep. Marcia Fudge To Deliver Letter and Over 350,000 Petition Signatures to the Department of Education Urging an End to Social Security Benefit Garnishments for Student Debt.
Coalition Includes AFL-CIO, Alliance for Retired Americans, Student Debt Crisis, Social Security Works, Project Springboard, CREDO, Campaign for America’s Future, Demos, Center for Global Policy Solutions, Courage Campaign, Justice in Aging, RootsAction.org, Other 98%, and Others.
(Washington, DC) The co-chairs and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus will release a letter urging the Department of Education to use their authority to end the garnishment of Social Security benefits for student debt. In addition, organizations representing tens of millions of Americans will deliver more than 350,000 petition signatures in support of ending the garnishment of Social Security benefits for retired Americans with outstanding student debt on Thursday, October 22 2015 at 2:00pm ET.
In 1996, Congress added a loophole allowing outstanding student loans to override Social Security’s guarantee—and now more than 160,000 Social Security beneficiaries are having their benefits garnished to pay for college debt.
WHO:
- U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
- U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
- U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH), Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, House Committee on Education and the Workforce
- Roger Hickey, Campaign for America’s Future
- Biola Jeje, Project Springboard
- Nancy Altman, President, Social Security Works
WHAT: Delivery of Congressional letter and more than 300,000 petition signatures in support of stopping Social Security garnishment.
WHEN: Thursday, October 22 at 2:00 p.m. (EST)
WHERE: U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC 20202