At the end of last year, Sgt. Marin received the Mexican Border Defense Medal, an honor acknowledging his contributions to border security efforts. His career reflects an unwavering dedication to duty, leadership, and the safety of others. Courtesy image
Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, Texas – Jhonier Daniel Marin was formally recognized on the House Floor for his exemplary record of service to South Texas and the nation.
Sgt. Marin has dedicated his career to public service through multiple roles, including his work with the Army Reserve, border support missions, and his current position as a firefighter for the City of Mission. His commitment to protecting communities both at home and abroad has earned him the respect of colleagues, local leaders, and residents across the region.
At the end of last year, Sgt. Marin received the Mexican Border Defense Medal, an honor acknowledging his contributions to border security efforts. His career reflects an unwavering dedication to duty, leadership, and the safety of others.
“It is a privilege to recognize Sgt. Marin’s service,” said [Name/Office if needed]. “His commitment to our community and our country reflects the very best of South Texas.”
The full remarks delivered on the House Floor can be viewed below:
Paxton’s opinion declares decades’ worth of DEI frameworks—memorialized in over 100 woke state laws—unconstitutional, including DEI programs in schools and state and local governments across Texas.
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Image: X
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a first-of-its-kind legal opinion, unparalleled in its size and scope, declaring the unconstitutionality of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) policies and programs in Texas government.
The opinion declares decades’ worth of DEI frameworks—memorialized in over 100 woke state laws—unconstitutional, including DEI programs in schools and state and local governments across Texas. Along with public institutions, Attorney General Paxton’s opinion notes that every private company engaging in woke DEI practices is exposing themselves to significant legal liability under state and federal law.
“This action to dismantle DEI in Texas helps fulfill the vision articulated by Martin Luther King, Jr. when he dreamed that his children would one day live in a nation where they were judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” said Attorney General Paxton. “America is waking up to the egregious unfairness of DEI policies. People should be judged based on merit and the quality of their character and qualifications, not their race, sex, or any other inherent characteristic conferred at birth. Our Constitution and our governmental system exist to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all American citizens. Core to those foundational principles is the fact that racial discrimination is not only morally wrong, but it’s illegal as well. This may come as a news flash to the radicals on the far-left, but our Constitution and the rule of law do not allow woke, race-based favoritism that tears our country apart. It’s imperative that all private-sector employers, schools, and state and local government entities—based on this legal opinion—immediately abolish any DEI, affirmative action, or unconstitutional discrimination programs under their authority. We must return to the basic principles of equal opportunity for all.”
In the wake of the Left’s decades-long effort to push radical propaganda, affirmative action, and DEI policies, Attorney General Paxton is making it clear that DEI is a thing of the past. His guidance restores a merit-based legal framework and reaffirms that Texas law does not permit discrimination in the name of “equity.”
This new legal opinion also overrules previous Attorney General John Cornyn’s legal opinion that refused to address DEI’s faults and illegalities. In 1999, Cornyn muddied the waters by overturning a legally sound opinion that affirmed constitutional principles. His actions left critical constitutional questions unresolved, which then allowed decades of DEI and discriminatory practices to proliferate across state government unchecked. Attorney General Paxton’s opinion restores clarity, order, and constitutional integrity.
The Attorney General’s opinion notes that historically underutilized business (“HUB”) programs establish a pervasive regime of racial, ethnic, and sex-based classifications in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause and the Texas Constitution’s Equal Rights Amendment. By prioritizing public grants for certain businesses based on race and sex, these programs blatantly violate the law and use these factors as proxies for merit. This is a failure to rightly steward taxpayer dollars. While it is unconstitutional for programs to operate and judge based on skin color, sex, race, or other immutable traits bestowed at birth, programs and policies for veterans and veteran-owned businesses should remain in place and are unaffected by this opinion—preserving funds for those who have earned support and access to programs by bravely serving our country.
Attorney General Paxton’s opinion analyzes programs like the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (“DBE”) program and initiatives and statutes mandating the consideration of race and sex for seats on state boards, commissions, and committees. The opinion concludes that these policies cannot survive constitutional review. Claims that individuals of a particular race or sex “represent” the views or interests of an entire group reinforce offensive generalizations and falsely assume that people think alike based on immutable traits, which is an assumption squarely rejected by the law.
Attorney General Paxton also notes the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision evaluating the constitutionality of race-based affirmative action policies in the admissions programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In that landmark ruling, the Court held that the programs failed to meet strict scrutiny and highlighted that, “[o]ur acceptance of race-based state action has been rare for a reason. ‘Distinctions between citizens solely because of their ancestry are by their very nature odious to a free people whose institutions are founded upon the doctrine of equality.’” The case finally put an end to affirmative action in higher education. As the Court said clearly in its ruling: “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.” Now, Attorney General Paxton has issued the most wide-sweeping, binding legal document since that ruling. By highlighting the Supreme Court’s decision as a repudiation of race-based preferences and DEI frameworks, Attorney General Paxton affirms the unconstitutionality of these discriminatory practices across state government and in the private sector—not just a narrow holding limited to university admissions.
The Office of the Attorney General will continue to investigate and hold accountable any school district, local governmental entity, state agency, or program that attempts to use DEI or affirmative action as a guise for unlawful discrimination, ideological coercion, or the erosion of merit-based decision-making. The Constitution does not permit discrimination by another name, and Texas will not tolerate the circumvention of the law through “DEI.”
Army Sgt. Gordon Yntema. Photo courtesy US Department of War. Medal image: Arlington National Cemetery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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By Katie Lange
Army Sgt. Gordon Douglas Yntema, a Green Beret, fought until his last breath to make sure the Vietnamese troops with whom he served could withdraw in the face of a firefight they couldn’t win. His selflessness and dedication to the cause earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor.
Yntema was born June 26, 1945, in Bethesda, Maryland, to Dwight and Cynthia Yntema. He had a brother named David.
When he was a little more than a year old, the family moved to Holland, Michigan, so his father could work as a professor of business administration at Hope College, according to The Grand Rapids Press.
After first going to public school, Yntema attended two preparatory schools, Culver Military Academy in Indiana and Fountain Valley School in Colorado. His military education must have stuck with him because in July 1963, shortly after he turned 18, he enlisted in the Army.
Around the same time, Yntema married Peggy Brown, also from Holland. They had two daughters, Elizabeth and Jane.
After graduating from airborne school, Yntema was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, where he learned helicopter mechanics. After deploying for four months to the Dominican Republic in the summer of 1965, Yntema decided he wanted more of a challenge. He then went to U.S. Army Ranger School, qualifying in 1966, before joining Special Forces in January 1967, earning his green beret.
By this time, the U.S. military presence in Vietnam was building, so Yntema was sent to the country in October 1967 with a detachment assigned to Company D of the 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces. That same month, he received a Purple Heart for wounds he suffered while stationed in a Special Forces camp west of Saigon.
By mid-January 1968, Yntema was serving as an advisor to a Vietnamese reconnaissance platoon at Camp Cai Cai, along the Cambodia border. On Jan. 16, 1968, his team and another platoon were sent to block enemy movements near the village of Thong Binh when a firefight broke out with the Viet Cong.
The group’s friendly South Vietnamese commander was seriously wounded, so Yntema assumed control of the platoons and moved them forward to within 50 meters of the enemy’s bunkers. After 30 fierce minutes of fighting, they were forced to pull back to a trench for better protection so they could still carry out their blocking mission.
The situation went from bad to worse. A company of enemy soldiers moved into a position that pinned the platoons down on three sides before unleashing a mortar barrage that inflicted heavy casualties on exposed soldiers. Yntema’s remaining platoonmates were low on ammunition, so many of them chose to flee.
Yntema was seriously wounded and also ordered to withdraw, but he refused to leave his fallen comrades. As enemy fire continued, the sergeant carried the wounded Vietnamese commander and another mortally wounded U.S. Special Forces advisor to a small gully about 50 meters away to try and give them some form of protection.
He then continued to push back the attackers, who were trying to overrun the position, until he ran out of ammunition and was surrounded. The enemy gave him the opportunity to surrender, Yntema’s Medal of Honor citation stated, but he refused. Instead, he used his rifle as a club to fend off about 15 Viet Cong. His resistance was so fierce that the enemy was forced to shoot him.
Despite insurmountable odds, Yntema refused to give up, instead giving his life to make sure his surviving platoonmates could escape.
For that supreme sacrifice, Yntema received a posthumous Medal of Honor from Vice President Spiro Agnew Nov. 18, 1969, during a White House ceremony. His wife, Peggy, accepted it on his behalf.
Yntema’s body was eventually returned home and buried in the Pilgrim Home Cemetery in Holland.
His sacrifice has not been forgotten. A dining facility at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is named in Yntema’s honor. In 2011, a section of highway near his hometown was designated the “Medal of Honor Recipients Highway” in his honor and that of three other Michigan recipients: Army Sgt. Paul Chambers, Army Lt. Col. Matt Urban, and Army Cpl. John Essebagger Jr.
This article is part of a weekly series called “Medal of Honor Monday,” in which we highlight one of the more than 3,500 Medal of Honor recipients who have received the U.S. military’s highest medal for valor.
Following his extradition from Mexico to the United States, Roberto Najera Gutierrez, also known as “Kunfu Panda” and “La Gallina,” pleaded not guilty in the Northern District of Georgia to a federal charge of conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine that he knew would be imported into the United States. Image: Public Domain. Bgd for illustration purposes
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U.S. Department of Justice
Following his extradition from Mexico to the United States, Roberto Najera Gutierrez, also known as “Kung Fu Panda” and “La Gallina,” pleaded not guilty in the Northern District of Georgia to a federal charge of conspiring to manufacture and distribute cocaine that he knew would be imported into the United States.
“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and our brave DEA agents, the cartels are no longer free to import poison into our communities,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We appreciate the work of our Office of International Affairs which secured the extradition of this alleged narco-terrorist and our attorneys in the Northern District of Georgia will ensure he’s met with swift justice in the United States.”
“As a senior member of the brutal Sinaloa Cartel, Najera Gutierrez is allegedly responsible for distributing massive amounts of cocaine from South America and through Mexico that were intended to poison communities in the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “This federal indictment, as well as the recent arraignment in Atlanta of alleged Sinaloa Cartel trafficker Zhi Dong Zhang, demonstrates the global reach of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and underscores that narco-terrorists abroad will ultimately face justice in American courtrooms.”
“This indictment is part of a multi-agency collaboration dedicated to dismantling transnational criminal organizations responsible for drug trafficking and violence,” said Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Through sustained cooperation, we are holding cartel leaders accountable and reducing the harm they cause to our communities.”
“IRS-CI is proud to stand alongside our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks responsible for trafficking massive amounts of cocaine and other illegal drugs into the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Atlanta Field Office.
According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In 2013, DEA agents began an investigation of drug traffickers working with the Sinaloa Cartel to transport cocaine from South America to Mexico for importation into the United States, including into the Northern District of Georgia. The Sinaloa Cartel is a transnational criminal group based in Mexico. On Feb. 20, 2025, the Sinaloa Cartel was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
As part of the investigation, agents identified Roberto Najera Gutierrez as a then-high-ranking member of the cartel who allegedly led and coordinated the transportation of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine by boat from Colombia and Ecuador to Honduras and Guatemala. Once the drugs were in Central America, they were smuggled across the Guatemalan border into Mexico. Najera Gutierrez allegedly distributed that cocaine to other high-level drug traffickers in Mexico who imported the cocaine into Atlanta, Chicago, and the states of Florida, New York, and California. Najera Gutierrez also allegedly coordinated the collection and remission of drug proceeds through bank accounts.
Roberto Najera Gutierrez, 48, of Tizimín, Yucatán, Mexico, is in federal custody. The recently unsealed indictment against Najera Gutierrez was returned in March 2018. In October 2023, Najera Gutierrez was served with a warrant pursuant to the U.S. request for his extradition. On Jan. 8, 2026, he was extradited from Mexico and surrendered to the United States.
This case is being investigated by the DEA and IRS-CI. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in transporting Najera Gutierrez from Mexico to appear before the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laurel Milam and Jonell L. Lucca for the Northern District of Georgia are prosecuting the case.
The Justice Department Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations assisted in the investigation, and the Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and Jan. 8 extradition from Mexico of Najera Gutierrez.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
These prosecutions are also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Just Salad announced that it has raised 200 million dollars in new capital in a funding round led by Wellington Management, with participation from D1 Capital Partners, Neuberger Berman, and Stripes. Image: Phillip Pessar, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
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Just Salad announced that it has raised $200M in new capital in a funding round led by Wellington Management, with participation from D1 Capital Partners, Neuberger Berman, and Stripes. According to the company, the investment values Just Salad at approximately 1 billion dollars and will be used to support new restaurant growth, menu development, technology initiatives, and improvements to the customer experience.
Nick Kenner, Founder and CEO of Just Salad. Image source: LinkedIN
The company stated that the funding will help accelerate its national expansion and support continued innovation across its operations. “The quick-service food industry is in the early days of disruption, and the average consumer desperately wants healthy, craveable, convenient, and accessible options; no one does that better than Just Salad,” said Nick Kenner, Founder and CEO of Just Salad. He added, “We are proud to partner with world-class investors like Wellington, D1, Neuberger Berman, and Stripes to propel our next phase of growth.”
Founded in New York City in 2006, Just Salad was created to meet demand for fast, healthy, and sustainable food options. The company has since expanded its menu to include salads, wraps, warm bowls, soups, and smoothies. According to the company, its food is prepared using homemade dressings, produce prepped daily, and ingredients made from scratch, with proteins marinated overnight and cooked fresh throughout the day.
Just Salad currently operates nearly 100 locations across New York, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. The company said its growth has been driven by strong customer demand, disciplined real estate selection, and a focus on operational efficiency. It reported industry-leading same-store sales growth supported by increased customer traffic and strong overall revenue performance.
The company is also known for its sustainability initiatives. Just Salad is a Certified B Corporation and operates what it describes as the longest-running reusable bowl program in the U.S. restaurant industry. According to the company, the program prevents approximately 43,000 pounds of single-use packaging waste each year. Since 2021, Just Salad says it has saved more than 160,000 meals from landfills and avoided over 430,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions through its partnership with Too Good To Go.
Michael Carmen, Co-Head of Private Investments at Wellington Management, said the firm sees strong potential in the brand. “Just Salad offers consumers a great product at an attractive price and stands out from other restaurant companies with its strong brand and impressive same-store sales growth,” he said. He added that the company’s growth is being driven by increased consumer traffic and performance that is outpacing others in the fast-casual category.
Wellington Management, D1 Capital Partners, Neuberger Berman, and Stripes are investors with experience across consumer and retail sectors. The company said the investment comes at a key moment as Just Salad prepares for its next phase of expansion. BofA Securities served as the exclusive placement agent for the transaction, and Latham & Watkins provided legal counsel.
The Internal Revenue Service today confirmed that the $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” more than 1.5 million service members received last year, at the direction of President Donald J. Trump, would be tax-free.
“The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service today confirmed that supplemental basic allowance for housing payments made to members of the uniformed services in December 2025 are not to be included in income by those who received the payments; they are not taxable,” the statement reads.
According to the IRS, U.S. tax law excludes from gross income a “qualified military benefit.” The Warrior Dividend is just such a benefit and is therefore not taxable. Service members will keep all of the dividends to use as they see fit.
“The tax-free Warrior Dividend places $1,776 directly in the hands of our warfighters and their families,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said today. “The department is proud to recognize their sacrifice.”
On Dec. 17, 2025, the president announced that nearly 1.5 million service members would receive a $1,776 bonus to both thank them for their military service and to commemorate the 250 years the U.S. military has been defending the nation.
“Nobody deserves it more than our military,” he said. “I say, ‘congratulations’ to everybody.”
In a related statement, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the dividend illustrates the nation’s commitment to military service members.
“This Warrior Dividend serves as yet another example of how the War Department is working to improve the quality of life for our military personnel and their families,” Hegseth said. “All elements of what we’re doing are to rebuild our military.”
STC and the city of Pharr have partnered to offer English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, at no cost, to nearly 30 city employees who have a 2026 goal of learning English for their families and to grow personally and professionally. STC image
Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
Learning English has been a lifelong dream for Yolanda Cortez, who came to the United States from Mexico in 1985, and thanks to a new partnership between her employer – the city of Pharr, and South Texas College Continuing Education- she has claimed 2026 as the year she learns the language.
Enrolled in the English as a Second Language (ESL) beginner course provided by the city of Pharr and instructed by STC, she is one of nearly 30 Pharr employees, from various departments, who are completing either a beginner, intermediate or advanced ESL course.
Pharr Employees attending the ESL classes at STC. STC image
“I’m so grateful for Pharr, our mayor and STC for giving us this opportunity,” she said. “Learning English has always been a dream. I’ve learned it here and there, even my daughters have tried teaching me, but something always takes priority.”
It was one meeting recently that provided Cortez the motivation to try again.
“I went to a city meeting and I didn’t understand anything, no matter how much I wanted to,” said Cortez. “I promised myself there would never be another meeting that I didn’t understand. This has been my motivation.”
The ESL courses are conducted Wednesdays and Thursdays through April 9 for two hours in the morning at the Jose “Pepe” Salinas Memorial Recreation Center in Pharr.
In addition to free ESL courses, each student was provided a backpack by their employer, complete with textbooks, notebooks and school supplies to help each one succeed.
STC Program Coordinator for Continuing Education Xenia Munoz said the process to begin this partnership began in October of last year with student assessments and placement to ensure each student enrolled in the appropriate class.
“We’re so excited to be working with the city of Pharr,” said Munoz. “This is a great collaboration that will benefit their employees and allow them to be successful, meet goals and advance within their field or continue their education.”
Students enrolled in STC’s ESL courses learn everything from the alphabet, days of the week and how to tell time to nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs.
One of those students is Ruben Sarinana, who handles custodial and maintenance work at the Pharr Police Department. He is currently enrolled in the intermediate ESL course.
“For me, these classes are extremely important,” said the 57-year-old. “I don’t know a lot of English and sometimes I don’t know how to answer questions at work or give directions. This is going to help me overcome a lot of those challenges. I want to surprise my supervisors and show them that I’m worthy of growth within my job. Thank you, Pharr for giving me, us, this opportunity. It’s not lost on me that this is rare.”
Valerie Rivera, Workforce Development manager for city of Pharr Human Resources, said that the city is always looking for new professional development opportunities for their employees and ensuring they can support them with the resources and materials they need to be successful.
“We want our employees to grow, and collaborations, like the one with STC, allow us to provide trainings like ESL that allow them to move forward and move up,” she said. “With STC, we hold a positive working partnership, and we know that this is the first of many STC trainings or courses that we will offer. We appreciate everything they’ve offered us, and I hope they know this is going to change lives.”
Lives, like Cortez’s and Sarinana’s, are being changed.
“The beauty of all of this is that now I’ll be able to understand, speak, read and write in English. My dream is coming true,” said Cortez.
Sarinana shares the same sentiment.
“This is going to be a wonderful surprise for my family,” he said. “I just told them I was taking a training. I didn’t tell them I was going to be learning English. They’re going to be so excited and happy.”
The Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships (VAMOS) will hold a press conference on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, located at 118 Paseo Del Prado, Edinburg, TX 78539, to announce DHR Health as the Presenting Sponsor of the 30th Annual VAMOS Golf Tournament, scheduled for Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Champion Lakes Golf Course in McAllen, Texas. This is the organization’s largest fundraiser and one of the most anticipated charitable sporting events in the region. Image for illustration purposes
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EDINBURG, Texas – The Valley Alliance of Mentors for Opportunities and Scholarships (VAMOS) will hold a press conference on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Edinburg Conference Center at Renaissance, located at 118 Paseo Del Prado, Edinburg, TX 78539, to announce DHR Health as the Presenting Sponsor of the 30th Annual VAMOS Golf Tournament, scheduled for Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Champion Lakes Golf Course in McAllen, Texas. This is the organization’s largest fundraiser and one of the most anticipated charitable sporting events in the region.
The announcement marks a significant milestone as VAMOS celebrates 30 years of service to first-generation, low-income students in the Rio Grande Valley. DHR Health’s $50,000 contribution as Presenting Sponsor supports VAMOS’s goal of raising $1 million in scholarship funds during its milestone 30th year anniversary. These funds will directly support four-year renewable scholarships for students from Hidalgo, Cameron, and Starr Counties.
The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) today announced that it will delay the implementation of involuntary collections on federal student loans, including Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG) and the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). Image for illustration purposes
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The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) today announced that it will delay the implementation of involuntary collections on federal student loans, including Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG) and the Treasury Offset Program (TOP). The temporary delay will enable the Department to implement major student loan repayment reforms under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (the Act) to give borrowers more options to repay their loans. These reforms, which include simplifying repayment options and providing an additional opportunity for borrowers to rehabilitate their federal student loans, reflect the Trump Administration’s commitment to provide better support for current and future borrowers in repayment.
The Act reduces the number of federal student loan repayment plans, eliminating a confusing maze of options and making it easier for borrowers to select either a single standard repayment plan or income-driven repayment (IDR) plan that best meets their needs. This includes a new IDR plan that waives unpaid interest for borrowers with on-time payments whose payments do not fully cover accrued interest, and that includes small matching payments from the Department in certain circumstances to ensure that outstanding principal is reduced each month. The plan will be available for borrowers beginning July 1, 2026. The delay in collections will give defaulted borrowers additional time to evaluate these new repayment options once they consolidate their loans or complete a repayment or rehabilitation agreement.
The Act also gives borrowers a second chance to rehabilitate a defaulted loan, allowing them to get their repayments back on track and get the loan out of default. Prior to passage of the Act, the law only permitted borrowers a single rehabilitation opportunity. The delay in collections will give defaulted borrowers additional time to begin the rehabilitation process, including the ability to rehabilitate their loan a second time.
“After the Biden Administration misled borrowers into believing their student loans would not need to be repaid, the Trump Administration is committed to helping student and parent borrowers resume regular, on-time repayment, with more clear and affordable options, which will support a stronger financial future for borrowers and enhance the long-term health of the federal student loan portfolio,” said Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent. “The Department determined that involuntary collection efforts such as Administrative Wage Garnishment and the Treasury Offset Program will function more efficiently and fairly after the Trump Administration implements significant improvements to our broken student loan system.”
During the delay, the Department encourages borrowers in default to explore their options for resolving their defaulted student loans with the defaulted federal loan servicer. The Department reports student loan defaults to credit reporting agencies, which may adversely impact borrower credit reports.
Despite the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement of a delay on wage garnishment, it remains unclear how long this temporary pause will be in effect. Image for illustration purposes
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Washington, D.C. – As prices on everyday goods continue to rise from tariffs and millions of Americans see their health care premiums skyrocket, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) urged President Trump today to ensure his Administration does not garnish up to 15% of wages from student loan borrowers who have defaulted on payments and work with Congress to protect Americans’ paychecks and prevent irreparable damage to the economy. Despite the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement of a delay on wage garnishment, it remains unclear how long this temporary pause will be in effect.
Congressman Gonzalez writes, “As you may know, an estimated five million borrowers across the country have defaulted on their student loans, including an estimated 461,000 in the State of Texas – that is a collective debt of $1.67 trillion. In Texas alone, the defaulted debt is $9.5 million. To put things further into perspective, the median wage in the 34th Congressional District of Texas is $55,000 with the average student debt being $22,309. Many of my constituents are already having to choose between paying down debt or covering the necessities. Garnishing wages will only push families into further financial hardship.”
“Furthermore, borrowers who default will see their credit ratings plumet and encounter difficulties in purchasing homes, cars, and accessing credit cards further hindering any chance at upward economic mobility,” the Congressman continued.
In addition to potential wage garnishment, the U.S. Department of Education has taken steps to limit student loan repayment options that were designed to help keep monthly payments low for working Americans. This includes a pending agreement to eliminate the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan, which provided the most affordable and flexible option for borrowers. Once again, the Administration is creating an economic crisis of its own making while having the authority to enact immediate relief.
In the letter, Congressman Gonzalez also writes, “The federal student loan moratorium was the right call by your previous Administration. This was instrumental in ensuring millions of Americans stayed afloat as they found ways to pay back their student debt. It is imperative we protect our students who want to better themselves through education and not punish them for their pursuit of a better life and well-paying jobs.”
“I urge you and your Administration to act swiftly and reverse this decision and put America first. I stand ready to work with you to find an alternative such as a moratorium on collection or a bailout similar to the one provided to Argentina,” the Congressman concludes.
