“We can either follow end times fascists into oblivion, or we can commit to building the unruly, boundary-crossing movement they so deeply fear. One that wrests away their weapons, holds them accountable for their crimes, and defends the paradise of here.”
— Astra Taylor and Naomi Klein, End Times Fascism
Last week, OpenAI agents went rogue and tried to hack the Education Department’s website. Too bad they didn’t wipe out our student loans in the process.
Far from erasing our debts, AI development is fueling a debt crisis that could crash the whole economy. To generate the huge amount of computing power that large AI models require, companies like OpenAI, Oracle and Meta are debt-financing data centers to the tune of nearly $600 billion in 2026 alone. This frenzy, in turn, is driving up borrowing costs and making everything more expensive for the rest of us. AI execs who have recently called for the industry to slow down the pace of development are not concerned about the economy, or even humanity — they’re only worried about their bottom lines.
Indeed, some AI leaders have made it clear that their vision of the future doesn’t include humanity. In their new book End Times Fascism, Naomi Klein and Debt Collective co-founder Astra Taylor write about the alliance of messianic tech CEOs, religious theocrats, and ethnonationalist politicians who are preparing for, accelerating, and profiting from crisis and collapse.
These modern fascists may have consolidated an unprecedented amount of power over us, but we are far from powerless. The resistance movements we’ve seen against data centers, ICE kidnappings, and cop cities are grounded in solidarity and the love we share for our friends, our neighbors, and our homes. Each and every one of us has a role to play in the fight for a living world.
Today marks the one-year anniversary of our Debt Collective Substack! We’ve loved sharing interviews with experts, writing from Debt Collective members, and deep dives on municipal debt, affordable housing, student loan updates, and more.
If you’re not already a subscriber, sign up today to receive weekly updates straight to your inbox. Many thanks to the free and paid subscribers who support our work — we couldn’t do this without you!
Read on for the latest on our campaigns, upcoming events, and ways to take action. You are not a loan!
Higher Education
For many student debtors on the SAVE Plan, this month marks the end of their three-month period to transition off of SAVE. If this is you, don’t panic — check out our SAVE Webinar and Substack post for information and resources to help you navigate this transition.
Things have gotten so bad that last week, a group of state ombuds offices sent a letter to the Department of Education documenting the many problems student debtors are experiencing with the student loan system. They wrote: “To address these issues, we urge the Department to take immediate corrective action, including delaying mandatory repayment plan transitions until these operational failures are fully resolved.” That’s right — they’re calling for a payment pause!
This is a huge bump for our campaign. Debt Collective members around the country are taking this opportunity to meet with their members of Congress and demand action, and a growing number of member organizations are joining us in the call, including DSA, Dream Defenders and AAUP. Join the fight at our next payment pause campaign call on Wednesday, 10/14.
In other victories: two years ago, Debt Collective’s 50 Over 50 debtors led the first-ever senior-led action in D.C. to call for student debt relief. While our call for cancellation still has a long way to go, just this week, Senator Bernie Sanders introduced legislation calling for a permanent halt to Social Security garnishment for defaulted student loans — something our senior members have been pushing for years. This bill isn’t perfect, but it wouldn’t exist without older debtors fighting for relief. If you are an older debtor, join our next 50 Over 50 call on Thursday, 10/22 to learn more and plug in.
Healthcare
While Trump agency heads, corporate healthcare execs, and AI firms convened in DC this week to wring further profits out of our healthcare, state Medicaid offices across the country are preparing to implement massive federal healthcare cuts expected to kick tens of millions of people across the country off of their healthcare plans.
These cuts will largely operate through new federal Medicaid “work requirements,” cruel paperwork hurdles deliberately designed for people to fail. To maintain health insurance, Medicaid recipients will be forced to demonstrate through painstaking documentation that they’re working 80 hours/month.
When Arkansas and Georgia previously tried to implement similar work requirements, Medicaid recipients were forced to fill out mountains of unclear paperwork. Many who clearly met the criteria lost their coverage anyway, thanks to errors and red tape. While both states spent millions of dollars on consulting contracts and monitoring software, neither saw any measurable increase in employment — but in Arkansas, 62% of those disenrolled from Medicaid struggled to pay off their medical debts after losing coverage.
The kicker? Republicans in Congress behind the new federal mandate worked just 56 hours this month — not even close to the metric they’re using to justify kicking people off healthcare. The cruelty is the point.
This botched federal mandate will take effect in states across the country in just three months. Wherever you live, we need you fighting back with us. Fill out our HealthWatch Interest Form, and we’ll loop you in on our work organizing against fascist attacks on lifesaving public infrastructure.
Upcoming Events
Boston Debtors Assembly with PSL
Student debtors are in a moment of crisis. The federal government is not reliable for accurate information, student loan services are broken, and our payments are too high for us to afford. We need a radical shift. Join the Boston Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) for an in-person Debtors’ Assembly, where those of us with student debt — and our supporters — can come together to release the shame and stigma of student debt and organize collectively against it.
Phonebank Power Hour
Tuesday, Oct 6th 4pm ET / 1pm PT
Tuesday, Oct 13th 4pm ET / 1pm PT
Tuesday, Oct 20th 4pm ET / 1pm PT
Tuesday, Oct 27th 4pm ET / 1pm PT
Join fellow Debt Collective members for a weekly Phonebank Power Hour. Never phone banked before? No problem! We’ll start the call with a brief training, provide a script, and an easy-to-use dialer so that you can make calls from anywhere. Debtor-to-debtor outreach is the most powerful way to reach one another — all you need is a phone or computer and a few minutes.
Office Hours: Debtors in Default
Tuesday, Oct 6th 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Join us as we discuss options for debtors with federal student loans in default or those who know they cannot afford to pay their loans who are thinking through their options. We will share resources and cover options that require repayment, like rehabilitation and consolidation, as well as options that do not, like loan cancellation.
New Member Call
Wednesday, Oct 7th 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Curious about the Debt Collective and how we’re organizing to abolish debt? Our New Member Call is a space to learn who we are, what we’re fighting for, and how you can plug in. Whether you’re brand new or have been following our work for a while, this call is a chance to get grounded, ask questions, and connect with others who are ready to challenge the debt system together.
Jubilee School: What Debt Demands
Monday, Oct 12th 8pm ET / 5pm PT
As a young person, writer, educator, and Debt Collective member Kristin Collier discovered that someone she loved had acquired over $200,000 of fraudulent private student loans in her name. In this book talk, Collier will share excerpts from her memoir What Debt Demands, explore America’s broken student loan system, and illuminate the ways that debt shapes every aspect of our lives.
Payment Pause Campaign Call
Wednesday, Oct 14th 8pm ET / 5pm PT
From soaring payment amounts to miscounted past payment history, servicer errors and Dept of Ed blunders, the student debt collections system simply doesn’t work. Until these problems are fixed, student debtors need a payment pause. But loans won’t be paused on their own — to win that, we’ll have to organize. Join this national call for the latest updates in our campaign for a payment pause and ways to take action!
Debt Storytelling Jam!
Wednesday, Oct 21st 4pm ET / 1pm PT
Storytelling is one of the most powerful weapons we have in our organizing arsenal. Join writer, performer, Webby Award-winning producer, and Debt Collective member Ian Goldstein for an introductory storytelling jam session. Come with questions, learn the fundamentals of how to write a powerful story, workshop your story ideas in breakout sessions, and walk away with a firmer grasp on how to tell a tale. All writing levels are welcome.
50 Over 50 Monthly Call
Thursday, Oct 22nd 7:30pm ET / 4:30pm PT
Are you 50 years old or older? Do you have student loan debt? Join our 50/50 meeting for student debtors aged fifty and above to discuss action steps, organizing plans, and build solidarity. Newcomers are welcome!
Jubilee School: How We Fought for a Payment Pause — and Won
Tuesday, Oct 27th 8pm ET / 5pm PT
Our campaign to demand a pause on all federal student loans and interest didn’t come from nowhere. The precedent for this type of sweeping federal action was set by the first Trump administration in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when student loan payments were paused for more than three years. Join Debt Collective organizers Thomas Gokey and Dr. Richelle Brooks to trace the history of our fight for student loan debt cancellation, how it led to a national payment pause and cancellation for millions of student debtors, and how this history connects to our current fight to demand a payment pause.
Student Loan Debtors MA Chapter Organizing Call
Massachusetts Congressmembers like Sen. Warren, Sen. Markey and Rep. Pressley are key players in the national conversation on student debt cancellation, and it’s crucial that we pressure them to stand up for student debtors. Join our MA chapter organizing call to meet other MA student debtors, share your story, and learn how we can harness our collective power to win an interest-free student loan payment pause, cancellation, and free college for all. This event is limited to residents of Massachusetts.
Teaching Anti-fascism: A Roundtable Discussion with CAHE
Friday, Oct 30th 7pm ET / 4pm PT
A growing number of college and K-12 courses are being taught on the theory, history and culture of antifascism, and there have been three conferences since 2022. Organized by Coalition for Action in Higher Education (CAHE) and moderated by Debt Collective organizer Dr. Shamell Bell, this panel will discuss ways that educators can share and defend research and teaching while supporting antifascist action.
In The News
Stories we’re reading, writing, and thinking about this month:
Truthout – Trump’s Dismantling of Student Loan Aid Is Crashing Down on Debtors This Week
Shadowbanned Magazine – Is California Where Artists’ Dreams Go — to Die?
Democracy Now – “End Times Fascism”: Naomi Klein & Astra Taylor on Billionaires, Bunkers, AI, Gaza & the Far Right
Forbes - 3 Key Student Loan Deadlines Get Suddenly Extended, Sparking Confusion
Forbes - Education Department Must Pause Student Loans As Chaos Deepens, Advocates Say
New York Times – This Is How the A.I. Debt Binge Sinks the Economy
Mondoweiss – Palestinians are responding to Israel’s stranglehold on the West Bank economy by forgiving each other’s debts en masse
Business Insider – ‘It’s going to hurt’: How a surging student-loan payment is reshaping a family’s future
New York Times – A Doctor Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator.
The Century Foundation – Half of Every Dollar: How Household Debt Eats Into Workers’ Income Gains
