Author

Shauneen Miranda

Shauneen Miranda

Shauneen Miranda is a reporter for States Newsroom’s Washington bureau. An alumna of the University of Maryland, she previously covered breaking news for Axios.

Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

Biden’s newest student loan repayment plan temporarily blocked by Supreme Court

By: - August 29, 2024

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday slashed the Biden administration’s latest efforts to provide student debt relief to millions of borrowers to go forward while the appeals process unfolds. The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan provided lower monthly loan payments for borrowers and lessened the time it takes to pay off […]

U.S. Education Department outlines testing period for phased rollout of new FAFSA form

By: - August 28, 2024

WASHINGTON — With the U.S. Department of Education using a staggered approach in opening up the 2025-26 application period for federal financial student aid, the agency said Tuesday it will partner with a small number of community-based organizations to participate in the first testing period beginning Oct. 1. Earlier in August, the department said it […]

U.S. House Dems ask OSHA to respond to reports that state agencies tipped off employers

By: - August 20, 2024

WASHINGTON — Leading Democrats on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and its Workforce Protection Subcommittee demanded answers on Tuesday from Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su regarding allegations that certain state Occupational Safety and Health Administration agencies possibly misused federal funds and gave advance notice to employers of workplace safety inspections. The letter […]

Added delays in store for Trump in 2020 election interference case

By: - August 9, 2024

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith was granted more time on Friday before having to give an outline on the next steps his office is taking in the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee. The delay pushes the case proceedings further into the thick of the presidential race, […]

U.S. Education Department to gradually roll out new FAFSA form by Dec. 1

By: - August 8, 2024

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday it will use a phased rollout to launch the 2025-26 form to apply for federal financial student aid, which will make the application fully available two months later than usual. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — better known as FAFSA — will be available […]

VP Harris tells teachers union she’s ‘fighting for the future,’ blasts Project 2025

By: - July 25, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris — the likely 2024 Democratic presidential nominee — outlined on Thursday some of her “vision of the future” while touting the administration’s education record in her keynote address to the American Federation of Teachers national convention in Houston. Harris has quickly drawn the support of major unions like the AFT in […]

U.S. House panels review ‘startling’ allegations at Bureau of Indian Education university

By: - July 24, 2024

WASHINGTON — Members of two U.S. House panels examined allegations of sexual assault, bullying and retaliation at the U.S. Bureau of Indian Education-operated Haskell Indian Nations University during a hearing this week. Haskell, a Lawrence, Kansas, school that is the only four-year college operated by the bureau, has come under scrutiny over its response to […]

Secret Service director faces mounting calls to resign over Trump assassination attempt

By: - July 22, 2024

WASHINGTON — Congressional lawmakers on both sides of the aisle berated U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on Monday over the agency’s failures to prevent the attempted assassination against former President Donald J. Trump, urging her to resign amid dissatisfaction with her testimony. Nine days since a 20-year-old shooter killed one rallygoer and injured two […]

What to know about Vice President Kamala Harris, endorsed by Biden as his successor

By: - July 21, 2024

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Sunday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the new Democratic presidential nominee, passing the torch to the California native who has helmed administration initiatives on reproductive rights and gun control. A former U.S. senator from California who vied for her party’s presidential nomination in the 2020 primaries, Harris, […]

California Rep. Schiff latest Democrat to call on Biden to drop out

By: and - July 17, 2024

WASHINGTON — The intraparty effort to convince President Joe Biden to end his reelection bid resurfaced Wednesday, when prominent U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff of California became the latest Democratic member of Congress to go public with his concerns. Leading Democrats also set an early August window for a virtual roll call to officially name Biden […]

Booker, Castro urge feds to prepare for DACA recipients seeking health care access

By: - July 17, 2024

WASHINGTON — Worried about the outcome of the 2024 election, a slew of congressional Democrats called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services this week to take steps to ensure Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients can actually access health insurance provided under the Affordable Care Act when they become eligible this […]

U.S. House fails to pass measure to hold attorney general in ‘inherent contempt’

By: - July 11, 2024

WASHINGTON — In the latest U.S. House Republican attempt to secure audio tapes from the U.S. Justice Department special counsel’s interview with President Joe Biden, the U.S. House on Thursday rejected Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s resolution to fine Attorney General Merrick Garland for withholding them.  The measure — which was turned down 204-210 […]