Here’s what’s happening: President Donald Trump and his administration seem to hate people who get an education.

In a “dear colleague” letter posted March 16 the current political regime has taken back protections ordered by the Obama administration that blocked guarantee agencies and student loan debt collectors from charging late fees or collection charges. This change in policy may affect around 7 million people who have student loan debt under the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

Trump has also released details into his budget proposal and it has deep cuts to the Education Department according to a Washington Post article. For college students, the Federal Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grant, or money that is only given to those in college who have the greatest need, will be chopped.  Another cut in the Education Department means the Pell Grant program will lose 3.9 billion dollars in funding.

The Washington Post also reported on Daniela Vargas, who on “March 1, Daniela Vargas spoke at a press conference in Jackson, Mississippi, about her hope that she and other Dreamers could remain in the United States and contribute to the country they’ve long called home. Minutes later, the 22-year-old woman — who earlier obtained permission to stay in the country through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — was detained by immigration agents and taken to a detention center in Louisiana.”

Vargas entered the country when she was 7, and now faces the possibility of deportation.

Here’s why it matters:

Now, if a borrower is late on a student loan payment they can expect a fee and pay up to 16 percent of the principal and accrued interest owed. Which could amount to thousands of dollars owed on top of the loan itself  according to The Hill.

When you are middle to lower class the Pell Grant is crucial to being able to afford school.

In Trump’s budget, he reduces spending on education and the arts but increases spending on defense and homeland security. Specifically he wants to add 500 Border Patrol agents and another 1000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Here’s what you can do:

These are problems affecting the nation, so call your national representative. The Capitol Hill switchboard can be reached at (202) 224-3121.  Join a resistance group. The Indivisible Guide has set up the grassroots blueprint that the Tea Party used to influence Congress. It is easy to find a local group online that has events near you. The ACLU has launched People Power to mobilize citizens to fight for civil liberties outside the courts. On March 11 they had a resistance training that was live streamed by the Civil Liberties Club here at DVC. And keep an eye out for your congressman’s recesses. In a study by the Congressional Management Foundation that included surveys of 1,200 congressional staffers, “90 percent said that in-person constituent visits could influence a lawmaker.”

The current golfer in the White House has always benefited from us waiting for the other shoe to drop. One more scandal, one more tape, one more report, one more leak and that’s it.
The mindset of the resistance needs to be a offensive one. The first reason is the simplest: We don’t need to know anything else. What we know is bad enough.
The second reason is that this mindset can be demobilizing. It passes off responsibility to others (reporters, intelligence agencies, etc). It leads to us waiting for things to happen instead of making things happen.

Look, this may all result in the big moment we seek, but it’ll only happen because you made it so — through small, important acts that steadily build momentum. It won’t happen otherwise.