美政府筹备对近千万学贷违约者施加处罚：财政部拟雇用私人催收公司，中期选举前料不公布
据《华盛顿太阳报》（The Washington Sun）援引五名知情人士的调查报道，特朗普政府正准备明年对数百万联邦学生贷款违约的美国人施加财务处罚，《滚石》杂志等媒体 10 月 19 日至 20 日跟进报道了这一消息。其中三名知情人士称，财政部正推进雇用私人催收公司的计划，最早可能在 11 月启动；知情人士表示，这些计划不太可能在 11 月 3 日中期选举之前公布。
美国目前有近 1,000 万名借款人处于联邦学生贷款违约状态，联邦学贷组合总规模约 1.7 万亿美元。联邦学生贷款一般在拖欠还款约九个月后进入违约。一旦违约，政府无需法院命令即可通过两种主要方式追款：一是截留原本要发给借款人的款项，如退税、部分社会保障支票，以及劳动所得税抵免等税收抵免；二是通过行政工资扣押，责令雇主扣留借款人的一部分工资。借款人可基于经济困难在规定期限内提出异议。
这一准备与今年早些时候的做法形成转折：教育部今年 1 月曾推迟非自愿追收，称此举是为给借款人更多时间了解还款选项。去年，白宫行政管理与预算办公室（OMB）曾协助教育部准备扣押违约借款人的联邦福利与工资，但财政部官员以惩罚性措施对劳动者造成的经济代价为由阻止了该计划。此后，财政部推出了新的在线「违约贷款支持中心」与门户，旨在让借款人更容易弄清欠款与还款方式；政府公开表示的首选仍是让借款人进入自愿还款计划。
具体时间表仍未定。一些官员主张在本纳税年度就实施扣押与截留，这意味着按 2027 年 4 月 15 日截止日申报的借款人可能被截留退税，但知情人士提醒，启动时间可能再次推迟，因为官员们希望先确保财政部的支持中心运转正常。一名知情人士对《华盛顿太阳报》说：「在中期选举前这么做在政治上是疯了，但 2027 年可能更合理些，好让财政部有时间把合同签好、运转起来。」在相关报道中，财政部与行政管理与预算办公室均未置评。
Administration Prepares Penalties for Nearly 10 Million Defaulted Student Loan Borrowers: Treasury Moves to Hire Private Debt Collectors, With an Announcement Unlikely Before the Midterms
The Trump administration is preparing to impose financial penalties on millions of Americans who are in default on their federal student loans next year, according to an investigation by The Washington Sun citing five sources familiar with the matter, with Rolling Stone and other outlets following the story on October 19 and 20. Three of the sources said the Treasury Department is moving forward with plans to hire private debt collectors, possibly as soon as November. The sources said the plans are unlikely to be announced before the midterm elections on November 3.
Nearly 10 million borrowers are in default on federal student loans, out of a federal portfolio of about $1.7 trillion. A federal student loan generally goes into default after about nine months of missed payments. Once that happens, the government can recover money without a court order in two main ways: by intercepting payments it would otherwise send the borrower, such as tax refunds, part of a Social Security check, or credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit; and through administrative wage garnishment, ordering an employer to withhold a portion of a borrower's paycheck. Borrowers receive a window to object to garnishment on financial-hardship grounds.
The preparations mark a reversal from earlier this year: the Education Department postponed involuntary collections in January, saying the delay would give borrowers more time to review repayment options. Last year, the White House Office of Management and Budget began assisting the Education Department in preparing to seize federal benefits and wages from defaulted borrowers, but Treasury officials blocked that effort, expressing concern about the economic costs of taking punitive measures against workers. Since then, Treasury has unveiled a new online Defaulted Loans Support Center and portal intended to make it easier for borrowers to understand what they owe and how to pay; the administration's stated preference remains getting borrowers into voluntary repayment plans.
Timing remains unsettled. Some officials are pushing to apply garnishment and offsets for the current tax year, which would mean borrowers filing by the April 15, 2027 deadline could see refunds taken, but sources cautioned the start could be delayed again while officials make sure the Treasury support center is working. 'It would be politically insane to do this before the midterms, but 2027 probably makes a little more sense to give Treasury time to get contracts signed, up and running,' one source told The Washington Sun. The Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget did not comment in the reporting.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：美国海军主办的大学毕业典礼资料图。照片：美国海军一级军士官 Drace Wilson 摄，公共领域，经维基共享资源。 / File photo of a college graduation ceremony hosted by the U.S. Navy. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Drace Wilson, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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