Senator Hassan Applauds Bipartisan Vote to Overturn DeVos Rule that Favors Predatory For-Profit Colleges Over Defrauded Students
Bill to Overturn the Rule Now Goes to the President’s Desk
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, applauded the successful bipartisan vote today to overturn the Department of Education’s “borrower defense” rule, a proposal that will effectively deny students who were cheated or defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges of the debt relief that they are entitled to under law. The vote to overturn the proposal was agreed to in the Senate with both Democrats and Republicans voting in favor. The House voted to overturn the proposal earlier this year, and the resolution now goes to the President for his consideration.
“Too often, hard-working students, including veterans and service members, are misled and taken advantage of by fraudulent for-profit colleges – leaving them with massive amounts of debt and degrees of little value. Rather than standing up for those who have been defrauded, Secretary DeVos has made it her mission to roll back student protections in favor of predatory companies,” said Senator Hassan. “I am glad that members of both parties came together to overturn Secretary DeVos’s misguided efforts to gut consumer protections for students, and I strongly urge the president to sign this important measure. I will continue working across the aisle to hold for-profit colleges accountable for their deceptive practices, and provide students with the relief that they deserve.”
Senator Hassan has consistently spoken out against efforts from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Trump Administration to weaken protections for students in favor of for-profit colleges. Last year, she joined with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), to introduce the PROTECT Students Act, which would protect students and taxpayers from predatory higher education practices. Senator Hassan also joined Senator Durbin and a number of colleagues in introducing the measure to overturn the Secretary DeVos’s “borrower defense” rule.
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