President Trump has announced a policy directive to the U.S. Department of Education to immediately facilitate the discharge of federal student loan debt for any veteran permanently disabled as part of their military service.

WHITE HOUSE – Since our Founding, the United States has been blessed with men and women willing to serve in defense of our Nation and our ideals. Many of those answering the call to serve make the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and many others carry physical and emotional scars for the rest of their lives.

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act in 2008 and other acts (Higher Education Act), honors veterans who are totally and permanently disabled as a result of their service to the Nation by providing for the discharge of their Federal student loan debt.

Borrowers who have been determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to be unemployable due to a service-connected condition and who provide documentation of that determination to the Secretary of Education are entitled to the discharge of such debt.

For the last decade, veterans seeking loan discharges have been required to submit an application to the Secretary of Education with proof of their disabilities obtained from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The process has been overly complicated and difficult, and prevented too many of our veterans from receiving the relief for which they are eligible. This has inflicted significant hardship and serious harm on these veterans and has frustrated the intent of the Congress that their Federal student loan debt be discharged.

Only half of the approximately 50,000 totally and permanently disabled veterans who currently qualify for the discharge of their Federal student loan debt have availed themselves of the benefits provided to them by the Higher Education Act. This has created a serious and critical problem for disabled veterans, who must deal with the day-to-day consequences of their service-connected injuries, and for our military, as readiness and recruitment suffer when we do not take care of our veterans.

There is a pressing need to quickly and effectively resolve this problem. Therefore, my Administration will take prompt action to ensure that all totally and permanently disabled veterans are able to obtain, with minimal burden, the Federal student loan debt discharges to which they are legally entitled.

Accordingly, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to express the gratitude of our Nation for the service of our totally and permanently disabled veterans, I hereby direct the following:

♦Section 1. Policy. It shall be the policy of the Federal Government to facilitate — in a manner that is quick, efficient, and minimally burdensome — the discharge of Federal student loan debt for totally and permanently disabled veterans.

♦Sec. 2. Directive to the Secretaries of Education and Veterans Affairs. (a) The Secretary of Education is hereby directed to develop as soon as practicable a process, consistent with applicable law, to facilitate the swift and effective discharge of the Federal student loan debt of totally and permanently disabled veterans pursuant to section 437 of the Higher Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1087; section 455 of the Higher Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1087e; and section 464 of the Higher Education Act, 20 U.S.C. 1087dd. To the maximum extent feasible and consistent with applicable law, the process developed by the Secretary of Education should account for and make use of disability determinations made available to the Secretary of Education by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

(b) The Secretaries of Education and Veterans Affairs (Secretaries) shall take appropriate action to implement the policy set forth in section 1 of this memorandum as expeditiously as possible. To that end, the Secretaries shall consider all pathways for the Department of Veterans Affairs to share disability determinations with the Department of Education, so that veterans may be relieved of the burdensome administrative impediments to Federal student loan debt discharge.

♦Sec. 3. Definitions. As used in this memorandum:

(a) the term “Federal student loan debt” means liability to repay Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program loans, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program loans, and Federal Perkins Loans.

(b) the term “discharge” means discharge of FFEL Program loans and Direct Loan Program loans and cancellation of Federal Perkins Loans.

♦Sec. 4. General Provisions.

(a) Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d) The Secretary of Education is hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

[Link]

President Trump was delivering another round of delicious Chopper Presser rebuttals to the MSM narrative engineers today, when he remarked about confronting China: “I am the chosen one”…  And the media had the customary spontaneous ‘splodey head.

First, the people’s president is right, he is the chosen one.  Through prayer and divine providence, we finally have a businessman fighting for Main Street USA.   Secondly, it’s funny to watch an entire MSM apparatus that decries religion, suddenly searching for scripture in their anti-MAGA talking points.  Too funny.  Only Trump can achieve this.

Epic. Just epic. WATCH:

The Wall Street pundits are having a harder time pushing their recessionary economic narrative while the results from Main Street continue to beat expectations.  Two data points continue to highlight the strength of Main Street: Home Sales and Wage Gains.

President Trump’s MAGAnomic policies are focused on delivering results to the middle-class worker and family.  The middle-class American is the engine for a Main Street economy.  Growing the middle-class is the key to strengthening the U.S. economy and blocking negative global economic influence.  Growing the middle-class is how the U.S. economy continues to be self-sustaining. [We buy/use 80% of our own production.]

Today The National Association of Realtors released data showing existing home sales rose 2.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.42 million units in July.  Forecasters only expected 5.39 million units.  The U.S. Main Street housing market is very strong.

Because the results defy pundit expectation, Reuters has to ignore the strength of Main Street and put the Wall Street spin on the results.  The efforts to keep pushing a negative economic narrative are intense [Trillions At Stake]:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. home sales rose more than expected in July, boosted by lower mortgage rates and a strong labor market, signs the Federal Reserve’s shift toward lower interest rates was supporting the economy.

Horse-pucky.

Hopefully everyone can see that now.

It is not interest rates supporting the Main Street economy, it’s the underlying activity.  The Fed interest rates are responding to a need within the Wall Street economy.  When CTH outlined an ancillary benefit hidden inside Trump’s Main Street policy we noted this expectation.  Monetary action by the Fed would now –accidentally– work in favor of the U.S. middle class.

[…] Despite headwinds from a global economic slowdown, the U.S. housing market appears to be strengthening.

The National Association of Realtors said existing home sales rose 2.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.42 million units last month. June’s sales pace was revised slightly higher to 5.29 million units from the previously reported 5.27 million units.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast existing home sales would rise to a rate of 5.39 million units in July.

The housing sector data appeared to have little impact on stock prices, which rose following upbeat earnings from retailers Lowe’s Cos Inc (LOW.N) and Target Corp (TGT.N) that reinforced confidence in consumer demand.  (more)

See the dynamic?

Main Street is buying homes.  Main Street is purchasing and spending.  Main Street is delivering better earnings to Main Street-centric corporations (Lowes, Target) because Main Street is buying retail goods.

Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics delivers the First Quarter wage results showing Q1 wage growth 2.8 percent year-over-year (national average).  However, I would recommend everyone take a look at this BLS report because it breaks down regional wage gains by national market. [Table 1 – See Here] There are 356 counties measured.

What you see is the counties where MAGAnomic policy is having the biggest impact, are the specific counties where the worker wage growth is highest.  There are several scores of labor markets where year-over-year wage gains exceed 5, 6, 7 percent and higher.

These wage gains will only get better as the trade policy gets further cemented.  The USMCA will push investment into the U.S. for production of goods.  The manufacturing shift out of China will push investment into the U.S. for the production of goods.  Ongoing demands of reciprocity with the EU will push investment into the U.S. for the production of goods.  A U.K-U.S. trade alliance between North American and a doorway into Europe will push investment into the U.S. for the production of goods.

All of these MAGAnomic trade policies push investment into the U.S. for the production of goods.  All of these policies benefit Main Street USA.

President Trump is forcing the U.S. multinational corporations to put their investments back into the U.S. for the production of goods.

That’s the Main Street plan.  That’s the Main Street policy.  We are seeing the multinationals fight, but right now Main Street is winning, and Wall Street is not.

From CTH archives 2016: […]

♦ Inflation on imported durable goods sold in America, while necessary, will ultimately be minimal during this initial period; and expand more significantly as time progresses and off-shored manufacturing finds less and less ways to be productive, skirt tariffs and bottom out their monetary devaluation. Over time, durable good prices will increase – but it will come much later.

♦ Inflation on domestic consumable goods ‘may‘ indeed rise at a faster pace. However, it can be expected that U.S. wage rates will respond faster, naturally faster, than any monetary policy because inflation on fast-turn consumable goods becomes re-coupled to the ability of Main Street wage rates to afford them.

The fiscal policy impact lag, caused by the distance between federal monetary action and the domestic Main Street economy, will now work in our favor.  That is, in favor of the middle-class.

Within the aforementioned distance between “X” and “Y”, a result of three decades traveled by two divergent economic engines, is our new economic dimension….  (more)

President Trump delivers remarks at the American Veterans (AMVETS) 75th National Convention.  Anticipated Start Time 2:30pm EST:

White House Livestream – Fox News Livestream – Fox10 Livestream

The latest CNN tracking poll shows the top five haven’t changed. However, Joe Biden increased by 7 percent from the previous poll (was 22%, now 29%); and the biggest loser is Senator Kamala Harris who dropped a whopping 12 percent (was 17%, now 5%).

Sleepy Mumbles is leading the pack nationally with 29% support.  The communist Sanders is barely holding on to second place with 15%; and is being challenged by socialist Warren with 14%.  Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris round out the top five with 5 percent each.

[Poll Data pdf Here]

The next round of democrat primary debates will take place in Houston, Texas, over two days on September 12-13, 2019. The debate is limited to 20 candidates with 10 candidates participating each night. As of August 20, 2019, 10 candidates had qualified for the debate: Biden, Buttigeg, Booker, Castro, Harris, Klobuchar, O’Rourke, Sanders, Warren and Yang.

To qualify for the September debate a candidate must: ♦Receive 2 percent support or more in four national or early state polls (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and/or Nevada) publicly released between June 28, 2019, and August 28, 2019.

[Any candidate’s four qualifying polls must be conducted by different organizations, or if by the same organization, must be in different geographical areas.]

Additionally, ♦Candidates must also provide verifiable evidence they reached the following fundraising thresholds: (1) Donations from at least 130,000 unique donors; and (2) A minimum of 400 unique donors per state in at least 20 states.  The DNC will collect and approve this data harvest.  The ‘data harvest’ is the club cost of running in the primary.

President Trump is famously uninterested in diplomatic jibber-jabber that does not generate value or purpose.

Greenland not for sale?

Right. Sorry Copenhagen; no need for Frederiksen then…  Moving on.

After the G7, President Trump and First Lady Melania are scheduled to travel to Poland as the special guests of Polish President Andrzej Duda and his wife Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

Jon McNaughton’s latest artwork draws inspiration from the scale of President Donald Trump’s accomplishments; and the scale of opposition he has faced.  [Website Here]

From the artist: “What does the future hold for America? President Trump’s last few years in office have been remarkable. He has changed the direction of this county economically, devastated ISIS, negotiated with countries on the world stage, and been a powerful voice for American ideals.

It hasn’t been easy, as he has been blocked by both Republicans and Democrats, trashed by the media, and hunted by the deep state in an attempt to undermine his presidency. But, the “painting” is not finished!”

“I believe that Trump will yet reveal in the future a greater degree of prosperity, justice, and American influence that has never been seen before. His greatest achievements are yet to be revealed. How will history remember the presidency of Donald J. Trump? I believe it will be considered a “Masterpiece.”” (link)