美国有线新闻 CNN 美国将免除总计高达1080亿美元学生贷款

 

One hundred eight billion dollars, that's the amount of student loan debt that the U.S. federal government is set to pay for in the coming years.

Why is that significant? Because it's a lot more money than the U.S. Education Department said it would be.

For years, student loan debt, the money that U.S. students borrowed to pay for college has been soaring. To help borrowers avoid defaulting, to avoid missing their payments, the Obama administration strongly encouraged them to participate in a government program that limits what they actually have to pay back. The administration says defaults have decreased as a result.

But according to "The Wall Street Journal", a new report from the Government Accountability Office says the Education Department badly underestimated what these debt-reducing plans would cost the federal government.

MARIBEL ABER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This isn't new. President Clinton first introduced income-based repayment¹. Eligible² participants had to, one, have income that was low in relation to their debt, right? And then, second, taken out loans after 2007.

Well, with the revised pay-as-you-earn, the Obama administration sort of widened the net and removed those restrictions³ for borrowers of federal direct loans. The administration pushed the program aggressively to those borrowers. A borrower's monthly payment is capped at 10 percent of their income and the remaining balance is forgiven after 10 years or 20 years, depending if you work in the public or private sector⁴.

It seems great, but who pays for this loan forgiveness? It's taxpayers⁵.

1 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。

2 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

5 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。