DeLauro Votes to Protect Students from Predatory For-Profit Colleges

WASHINGTON, D.C. — (January 16, 2020) Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) spoke on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H.J.Res.76, legislation that would overturn a Trump administration policy that makes it more difficult for students defrauded by colleges to repay their student loans. A full video of her speech can be found here, and below are her remarks as delivered:

I rise to support this action to overturn Secretary DeVos's misguided policy against defrauded students.

Predatory, for-profit colleges are scamming students and taxpayers out of millions of dollars. Secretary DeVos is helping them to get away with it. I held an oversight committee in my appropriations subcommittee and what did we find, that while accounting for only 9 percent of all students enrolled in post-secondary education, predatory, for-profit colleges account for 34 percent of all defaults.

Secretary Devos's new rule, students may not receive the financial relief that they deserve and are entitled to under the borrower defense to repayment provision of the Higher Education Act. And while the Obama administration created a streamlined process to help students access the relief, the Trump administration is making it nearly impossible. Under the Secretary's new rule, if borrowers cannot prove the school intentionally defrauded them, or if they cannot file their claim fast enough, or if they cannot document their exact financial harm, they lose out. As little as 3% of eligible debt will be forgiven now. And, with the Secretary's rule, what little relief there is will likely be shouldered by taxpayers, not the schools who are committing the fraud.

It's wrong. And in Connecticut, 1,100 defrauded students are waiting, waiting to be made whole. They need help, not Secretary DeVos's cruel policy. We must pass this Congressional Review Act Resolution and stop her.