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Congressman Alcee Hastings dies at age 84

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Democratic Congressman Alcee Hastings has died at age 84 after a two-year fight with pancreatic cancer, Fox News has confirmed.

Hastings, who served in the House for nearly three decades, represented Florida’s 20th Congressional district, which included Democratic areas around Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

In late 2018, Hastings was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. For two years he continued doing public appearances between medical treatments. In his final days, he was admitted to hospice care.

“Alcee was a fighter, and he fought this terrible disease longer than most. He faced it fearlessly, and at times even made fun of it,” said Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness.

Fellow Florida Democrat, Rep. Val Demings, said Hastings “brought passion & unwavering dedication to the fight for justice.”

“U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings served his constituents as a civil rights attorney, judge, and Dean of our Congressional delegation. He changed the face of politics in FL and brought passion & unwavering dedication to the fight for justice. We are forever grateful for a life well lived,” Demings wrote.

Democrats hold a slim 218-211 advantage in the House after Hastings’ passing. There will be five vacancies once Rep.-elect Julia Letlow, R-La., is sworn into office.

Follow Annaliese Levy on Twitter @AnnalieseLevy

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Economy

White House announced $6 billion student loan forgiveness for 78,000 public service workers

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The White House recently announced a $6 billion loan forgiveness program. Nurses, teachers and firefighters are among the 78,000 public service workers who will qualify. Fox Business reports:

Due to fixes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, workers that never received forgiveness are now having their debts partially forgiven or canceled. Only about 7,000 public service borrowers received forgiveness prior to the Biden Administration, now that total hovers closer to 870,000, the announcement said.

“Today’s announcement comes on top of the significant progress we’ve achieved for students and student loan borrowers in the past few years,” the announcement stated. “This includes: providing the largest increases in Pell Grants in over a decade to help families who earn less than roughly $60,000 a year; fixing Income-Driven Repayment plans so borrowers in repayment for years get the relief they earned; and creating the most generous Income-Driven Repayment plan in history – the SAVE plan.”

However, there is concern over fairness that older generations are still paying off student loans and could risk losing Social Security. A group of representatives wrote a letter to Congress, hoping to address the issue of seniors still paying down student loans. Currently, under the Treasury Offset Program (TOP), the government can collect funds, such as tax refunds and Social Security, to pay outstanding student loan balances, reports Fox Business.

“Under the TOP, the federal government can withhold up to 15 percent of monthly Social Security or disability benefits for defaulted student loans,” the lawmakers explained in their letter.

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