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Florida Republican, Democrat team up to tackle student loan debt as Biden-Harris forgiveness bids derail

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Florida Republican, Democrat team up to tackle student loan debt as Biden-Harris forgiveness bids derail


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A seemingly unlikely duo is pushing for Congress to do something about ballooning college debt that’s plaguing millions of Americans.

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Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., introduced a bill to cap federal student loan interest at 3% this week, and Luna told Fox News Digital that she’s already gearing up to lobby Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for a House-wide vote.

“I actually fully anticipate having that conversation in person when we return next week,” Luna said.

TRUMP AND HARRIS IN TOSS-UP RACES IN KEY SWING STATES PENNSYLVANIA, GEORGIA, NEVADA: POLL

Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Jared Moskowitz are engaged in serious bipartisan talks to get a bill to limit federal student loan debt interest. (Getty Images)

She wants Johnson to fast-track the bill under a procedure known as “suspension of the rules,” which allows legislation to bypass the normal committee process in exchange for raising the threshold for passage from a simple majority to two-thirds – which both Luna and Moskowitz anticipated the bill would see.

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“I think this would pass if you put this to the floor. In fact, if you bypass committee, I think this would probably get two-thirds. I mean, I think it would pass overwhelmingly,” Moskowitz told Fox News Digital.

Luna similarly said, “I think it would be really hard for any member to vote against it.”

She also suggested creating a discharge petition for the bill – a measure that would force a piece of legislation up for a vote if the petition got a majority of House lawmakers’ signatures. 

KAMALA HARRIS GOES VIRAL WITH ‘CRINGE’ NEW ACCENT AT DETROIT RALLY, SPARKS ‘FOGHORN LEGHORN’ COMPARISONS  

Discharge petitions rarely, if ever, succeed in forcing a House-wide vote themselves, but Luna said that just the creation of one could be enough to pressure leadership into action.

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“I talk to people that are just like, ‘I am literally paying off loans from 15, 20 years ago, and because the interest rate is so high, we’re not even able to make a dent,” Luna said. “It’s turning Americans into indentured servants.”

President Biden has tried to implement broad student loan forgiveness multiple times. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

It comes after the Biden-Harris administration’s multiple attempts at mass student loan forgiveness keep getting blocked by GOP-led states and even the conservative-leaning Supreme Court. President Biden has managed to implement more narrowly targeted forgiveness measures, however.

And while Luna and Moskowitz’s opinions on Biden’s initiative differ, both said they have heard people on both sides of the aisle express a need for reform to the student debt system.

“Quite frankly, we both, we both were working on this issue in a silo, and then in a conversation one day, we both brought it up,” Moskowitz said of how their partnership on the issue came about. 

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KAMALA HARRIS HAS YET TO DO FORMAL PRESS CONFERENCE SINCE EMERGING AS DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE

“Everybody knows it’s a problem. . . . Let’s start here, where we have some common ground, where people who can’t afford an education can go get a loan, but they won’t be saddled with debt for the rest of their lives.”

Both also dismissed concerns about giving each other’s side a win during the hyper-partisan environment of an election year.

“I can’t be concerned about that, because at the end of the day, if we’re going to make progress for the American family, I’m not interested in this credit nonsense,” Moskowitz said. “If I’m out there criticizing Republicans who wanted to deny Joe Biden a win on something, I can’t then partake in that behavior myself, right?”

Both lawmakers said college and university debt is a bipartisan issue. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Luna said, “Ultimately, we as a country will take a win.”

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“I know that we’re in an election year, and I will say that I wish, and I hope that [Democrats] will look at this legislation not like it’s being drawn from, and passed by, the Republican body, but that, you know, it’s something that would be a net positive,” she said.

At of the end of 2023, roughly 43 million Americans shared the burden of some $1.6 trillion student loan debt in the country, according to federal data.

Nearly 95% of that debt is in federal loans, according to the Education Data Initiative, which also cited the average federal student loan interest rate as 5.99%.

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Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis

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Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis



ICE shooting: After Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, millions of Americans are protesting — including in Trump’s home state.

A week ago, President Donald Trump rang in the new year like a king — in grandeur and opulence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

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Following this week’s deadly shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minnesota, millions of Americans frustrated with his administration are protesting — including in his home state.

Groups in Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami have held vigils and peaceful protests after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot in the head while attempting to use a vehicle to flee authorities. The incident was captured on camera, and multiple videos posted on social media have gotten millions of views.

The nationwide protests are the latest in a year of Trump’s second term, which is coming up on a one-year anniversary later this month. Most cite Trump’s:

  • immigration crackdowns
  • ICE and National Guard deployments
  • on-again-off-again tariffs
  • his perceived control over all three branches of the U.S. government

More than 25 Trump protests and vigils for Renee Nicole Good were scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11, in his home state of Florida, and at least one was scheduled in Palm Beach County − about 30 miles down the road from his private club.

Last week, Donald and Melania Trump hosted their annual New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He returns there Friday, Jan. 9, amid the ICE protests and vigils for Renee Good in Minneapolis.

USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network will provide live coverage of the anti-Trump administration protests.

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Below are photos of the ICE protests in Florida, which occurred as Trump returned home to his private club, Mar-a-Lago.

Photos of ICE protest in Gainesville, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Palm Coast, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Stuart, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Tallahassee, Florida

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US protests after Renee Nicole Good is shot dead by an ICE agent

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.





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Flying taxis? They could be coming to Florida by the end of the year

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Flying taxis? They could be coming to Florida by the end of the year



Hate driving in Florida traffic? A flying taxi can elevate that problem. Electric aircrafts could used in Florida’s skies in 2026.

Tired of the constant traffic and congestion clogging Florida’s roads?

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In the words of the great Dr. Emmett Brown (Back to the Future fame), “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”

Florida is on its way to be the nation’s first state to offer commercial Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Essentially, that means state officials are paving the (air)way for passengers to take flight taxis, including electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), from one city to another in record time.

The country’s first aerial test site should be operational within the first part of 2026. It’s at Florida Department of Transportation’s SunTrax testing facility in Polk Couty between Tampa and Orlando along the almost-always congested Interstate-4.

“Florida is at the forefront of emerging flight technology, leading the nation in bringing highways to the skies with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), an entirely new mode of transportation,” according to a press release from the Florida Department of Transportation. “FDOT’s strategic investments in infrastructure to support AAM will help us become the first state with commercial AAM services.”

When will flight taxis be available in Florida?

Sometime in early 2026, the new Florida AAM Headquarters at the SunTrax Campus will be operational. By the end of the year, it will be fully activated and ready to deploy profitable commercial services for passenger travel.

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Air taxi company Archer Aviation announced in Dec. 2025 that it will provide flights between Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami international airports possibly as early as this year.

The company also plans to pick up and drop off passengers at the Boca Raton Airport, the Witham Field airport in Stuart, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and Miami Executive Airport.

Phase one of Florida air taxis: Four sections of the state

  • Part A: I-4 corridor, Orlando to Tampa, Orlando to the Space Coast, Orlando to Suntrax and Tampa to Suntrax.
  • Part B: Port St. Lucie to Miami
  • Part C: Tampa to Naples/Miami to Key West
  • Part D: Pensacola to Tallahassee

Phase two of Florida air taxis: Four more sections

  • Part A: Daytona Beach to Jacksonville
  • Part B: Sebring out east and west
  • Part C: Orlando to Lake City/Tampa to Tallahassee
  • Part D: Jacksonville to Tallahassee

What Florida airports are interested in commercial flight taxis

  • Boca Raton Airport (BCT)
  • Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB)
  • Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
  • Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL)
  • Miami Executive Airport (TMB)
  • Miami International Airport (MIA)
  • Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
  • Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
  • Orlando International Airport (MCO)
  • Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
  • Peter O Knight Airport (TPF)
  • Sebring Regional Airport (SEF)
  • Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)
  • Tampa International Airport (TPA)
  • Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB)

Michelle Spitzeris a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.



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Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say

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Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say


ORLANDO, Fla. — Federal and state officials withheld evidence that the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to reimburse Florida for some of the costs of constructing an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to environmental groups suing to shut down the facility.

The Everglades facility remains open, still holding detainees, because an appellate court in early September relied on arguments by Florida and the Trump administration that the state hadn’t yet applied for federal reimbursement, and therefore wasn’t required to follow federal environmental law.

The new evidence — emails and documents obtained through a public records request — shows that officials had discussed federal reimbursement in June, and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed in early August that it had received from state officials a grant application. Florida was notified in late September that FEMA had approved $608 million in federal funding to support the center’s construction and operation.

“We now know that the federal and state government had records confirming that they closely partnered on this facility from the beginning but failed to disclose them to the district court,” said Tania Galloni, one of the attorneys for the environmental groups.

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An appellate panel in Atlanta put a temporary hold on a lower court judge’s ruling that would have closed the state-built facility. The new evidence should now be considered as the judges decide the facility’s permanent fate, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, said in court papers on Wednesday.

A federal judge in Miami in mid-August ordered the facility to wind down operations over two months because officials had failed to do a review of the detention center’s environmental impact according to federal law. That judge concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made.

The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which led the efforts to build the Everglades facility, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry on Thursday.

Florida has led other states in constructing facilities to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Besides the Everglades facility, which received its first detainees in July, Florida has opened an immigration detention center in northeast Florida and is looking at opening a third facility in the Florida Panhandle.

The environmental lawsuit is one of three federal court challenges to the Everglades facility. In the others, detainees said Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state have no authority to operate the center under federal law. They’re also seeking a ruling ensuring access to confidential communications with their attorneys.

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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social



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