US Expands 'Thought Crime' To Student Loan Eligibility
The Trump administration is reportedly setting new rules to bar groups it opposes from federal loan relief, specifically targeting organizations involved in immigration and transgender care. Al Jazeera notes that this move, framed as 'ensuring proper use of funds,' could allow the Education Department to 'politically punish' targeted groups. One might wonder if this expansion of executive power
over loan eligibility could, for example, eventually find its way into broader definitions of 'undesirable' activism, like protests against foreign policy. This isn't about 'proper use of funds'; it's about weaponizing bureaucracy to silence dissent. Consider the pattern: first, efforts to redefine criticism of certain foreign governments as antisemitism, now withholding financial relief from
groups whose politics are deemed disagreeable. It’s less about sound fiscal policy and more about creating a compliant civil sphere—a familiar tactic in states less fond of free expression. How long until 'advocating for Palestinian rights' becomes grounds for denial?