Student-loan caps and repayment changes shift costs and protections for borrowers
Key Questions
What is the DOE proposing for appliance efficiency standards?
The Department of Energy proposes rewriting the rulemaking process for appliance efficiency standards, which could stall future updates on items like ACs, stoves, and washers. Comments on the proposal are due August 6.
How might the DOE's proposal affect consumers?
The changes could impact household utility bills by slowing efficiency improvements, creating a split between consumer choice advocates and efficiency supporters. The procedural shift has direct consequences for working- and middle-class households.
What is the context of the DOE appliance rules rewrite?
The proposal aims to alter how efficiency standards are developed, potentially delaying new rules with real-world effects on energy costs. It reflects ongoing debates over regulation versus consumer preferences in appliance standards.
New federal borrowing caps and the end of new Grad PLUS borrowing are reportedly steering some graduate students toward private loans; Sallie Mae and SoFi originations have risen, but broader borrower effects remain unproven. A late court ruling over which programs qualify for higher caps has left schools and students scrambling. A newly read explainer adds only basic grace-period information; borrowers leaving SAVE should verify current options and rules with servicers and StudentAid.gov.