President Donald Trump signed a memorandum effectively canceling federal student debt loans for America’s wounded warriors on Wednesday.
“Veterans who have made such enormous sacrifices for our country should not be asked to pay any more, rather it is America who owes our heroes a supreme debt of gratitude,” he said.
The president spoke to the AMVETS Convention in Kentucky on Wednesday, announcing his decision and signing the document.
Trump said the memorandum would effectively cancel the federal student debts of thousands of wounded American veterans.
According to the White House, the memorandum orders Secretaries of Education and Veterans Affairs to expedite totally and permanently that disabled veterans have their Federal student loan debt discharged with minimal burdens.
Trump also touted his administration’s accomplishments for America’s military veterans.
“After years of neglect, we are fixing the heartbreaking failures from the last Administration at the Department of Veterans Affairs,” he said. “America must never abandon our heroes in their hour of need.”
He said that wait times in Veterans Affairs hospitals had been slashed by 33 percent, and touted more VA accountability, allowing bad employees to get fired.
“Now when somebody mistreats you or mistreats people in the VA, we know what happens right?” he asked. “It’s called ‘You’re fired!'”
Veterans in the audience applauded and cheered after Trump said that over 7,600 faulty veterans affairs employees were fired from the system
“They’re gone, they’re fired,” Trump said.
Veterans also cheered Trump’s announcement that he had cut the amount of opioid drugs being prescribed by Veterans Affairs hospitals.
“Get a pain killer that’s not addictive,” Trump said. “And we’re closer than you think.”
Trump also spoke about preventing veteran suicides, suggesting that the government work to obtain a new nasal spray dose of fast-acting anti-depressant medicine to people experiencing suicidal thoughts.
The drug, Spravato, produced by Johnson and Johnson, was recently approved by the federal government.
“They’ve done so well in this country and they’ve made so much money, I think they should give it to us for free,” Trump said, referring to the pharmaceutical company.