Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
Rep. Takano Statement on Mulvaney’s Unconscionable Decision to Close the Office for Students at the CFPB
05.09.18 Washington, D.C. - Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response the announcement from Acting Director Mick Mulvaney to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) Office for Students and Young Consumers. "The Office for Students and Young Consumers is a vital resource we should be expanding rather than closing. It is the only entity within the federal government entirely focused on protecting young consumers. To date, it has helped return over $750 mi… Continue Reading
Closing the CFPB’s Office for Students is Reckless and Harmful
05.09.18 his morning, the Trump administration announced it is dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau office that protects student borrowers from fraud. Roughly 42 million Americans owe more than $1.5 trillion in student loans. Here is how Committee Democrats responded: Vice Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01): "The Trump Administration has once again shown that it cares more about corporate interests than it does about the interests of students who are trying to afford higher educat… Continue Reading
Bonamici Slams Mulvaney for Closing CFPB Office for Students
05.09.18 WASHINGTON, DC [05/09/18] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, a leader on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, made the following statement after Acting Director Mick Mulvaney announced that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will be closing its Office for Students and Young Consumers: "The Trump Administration has once again shown that it cares more about corporate interests than it does about the interests of students who are trying to afford higher education. … Continue Reading
House Democratic Leaders Unveil A Better Deal: Tools to Succeed in the 21st Century
04.27.18 Alexandria, Virginia - Today, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats held a press conference at Northern Virginia Community College to unveil the newest plank of their bold economic agenda, A Better Deal: Tools to Succeed in the 21st Century, which focuses on Democrats' commitment to investing in America's workers, pioneering future frontiers and modernizing government. "Too many families have been left behind by technological change, and left wondering where they fit in the economy… Continue Reading
GAO Report: Shadowy Industry is Manipulating Student Loan Borrowers, Default Rates
04.26.18 Washington, D.C. - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report - commissioned by Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) - revealing how the little-known but increasingly harmful "default management industry" is using misleading information, coercion, and even $25 gift cards to manipulate student loan default rates. In response to the report's findings, Mr. Takano and Ms. DeLauro joined the GAO in calling for improvements to the Cohort Default Rate (CD… Continue Reading
Bonamici Statement on Simplifying Student Loan Discharge for Disabled Veterans
04.17.18 WASHINGTON, DC [04/17/18] - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, a leader on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the Departments of Education and Veterans Affairs announced a new action to simplify the student loan discharge process for disabled veterans: "Veterans have sacrificed for our country, and we must honor their service. Disabled veterans must not be burdened with student loan debt, and we should be helping them access the loan forgiveness t… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the Eighth Anniversary of SAFRA
03.30.18 "The higher education reforms and investments made in SAFRA were historic in size and scope. As working families struggled to recover from the Great Recession, SAFRA brought relief to millions of students and parents. Notably, SAFRA made higher education more accessible and affordable by increasing the maximum Pell Grant award and indexing it to inflation; establishing the direct lending program that stopped using billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize corporate lenders; and strengthening inv… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on the Omnibus Bill
03.22.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after he voted in favor of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2018. "While this spending bill is about funding the government, it also a statement of values. When Congress prioritizes federal investments, the country makes progress. As a whole, I see this as a win for students. I support the increased investments in education from birth through college and rejection of misguided cuts proposed by the Trump administrati… Continue Reading
STEAM Day of Action Highlights Bipartisanship, HBCUs & Diversity in the Workforce
03.20.18 Washington, D.C.-Today, the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Caucus and the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) Caucus hosted the first HBCU STEAM Day of Action on Capitol Hill. This unique event brought HBCU presidents and administrators from thirty-four schools and industry leaders to Capitol Hill to meet with key Members of Congress and senior staff from both parties and in both chambers. The meetings allowed the coalition to advocate f… Continue Reading
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi Denounces Betsy DeVos’ Decision to Block Protections For Americans With Student Loans
03.09.18 SCHAUMBURG, IL - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the Committee on Education and the Workforce issued the following statement in response to the Department of Education's decision to block states from enforcing consumer protections against student loan collection companies: "Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' decision to strip states of their ability to protect Americans from fraud and abuse in student loans is unprecedented and poses serious challenges for working and middle-class fa… Continue Reading
Bonamici Stands Up for Student Loan Borrowers, State Consumer Protection Laws
03.09.18 WASHINGTON, DC [03/09/18] - Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, a leader on the House Education and the Workforce Committee and a former consumer protection attorney, issued the following statement after the Department of Education announced its plans to block states from regulating student loan servicers and debt collectors: "It is unacceptable that Education Secretary DeVos and the Department of Education are trying to interfere with the rights of states to protect student loan borrowers fr… Continue Reading
Trump Administration Usurps State Law on Student Loans
03.09.18 Washington: Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., gave the following statement after the U.S. Dept. of Education usurped states by saying that federal student loan servicers do not have to comply with state law to protect students from predatory student loan lenders. "The Trump Administration is more worried about protecting fraudulent student loan companies than students themselves. This is an attempt to take away a state's right to protect students, giving student loan servicers free reign to scam the… Continue Reading
Rep. Takano: Education Department Betrays Students…Again
03.09.18 Washington, D.C. - Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to the Department of Education's "notice of interpretation" that exempts federal student loan servicers from state regulation. "The Trump administration's attempt to block states from holding unethical student loan companies accountable is a disgraceful escalation of its attack on students and the integrity of the higher education system. At a time when 42 million Americans owe roughly $1.4 trillion in f… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on ED Prioritizing Profits Over People
03.09.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education (ED) published a 'notice of interpretation' of state's rights to protect federal student loan borrowers. "In recent years, there have been numerous credible claims of servicing failures stemming from potentially unethical practices and purposeful misinformation provided to student loan borrowers. States under both Democratic and Republican leadership have rightly increased their inve… Continue Reading
Scott: ED OIG Confirms H.R.4508 Makes College More Expensive for Students
03.06.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Education (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released their recommendations for H.R.4508. "Independent analysis continues to confirm what we have said about H.R. 4508 from the beginning, it makes college more expensive for students and is a wish list for for-profit schools. Our claim that it will make college more expensive was … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Condemns DeVos for Prioritizing Privatization
03.05.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, released the following statement after the Department of Education announced their final list of priorities last Friday, March 2, 2018. "As with many recent actions by the Department, I am deeply disappointed with Friday's announcement. I am disappointed by the Secretary's failure to heed the advice of many commenters, including Members of Congress, who urged her to abandon school privatiz… Continue Reading
Scott: CBO Confirms GOP Higher Education Bill is a $15 Billion Raid on Student Aid
02.06.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released cost estimates for H.R. 4508. "The CBO's score of H.R. 4508 confirms what we already knew to be true - this bill makes college more expensive for America's students and working families. According to the CBO, H.R. 4508 would send $9.2 billion in taxpayer dollars to for-profit schools and low-quality programs, but fails to provide any substantial support to help l… Continue Reading
Democratic Education Leaders Call for Inspector General Investigation of Education Department’s Use of Private Collection Agencies
02.05.18 WASHINGTON, DC [02/05/18] - Today Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Bobby Scott, Susan A. Davis, and Senators Kamala Harris, Patty Murray, and Elizabeth Warren called on the Inspector General of the Department of Education to examine whether the use of private collection agencies to collect defaulted student loans is a waste or misuse of taxpayer dollars. The Education Department uses private collection agencies to collect payments from struggling student loan borrowers who have defaulted on th… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on ED’s Latest Action to Harm Defrauded Students
12.20.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education (ED) announced a new process for assessing and awarding borrowers defense to repayment claims submitted by former students of the now-closed Corinthian Colleges. "Today's action by the Department of Education will short-change thousands of students defrauded by the now-defunct Corinthian Colleges, Inc. "By structuring financial relief according to earnings in comparison to other car… Continue Reading
After 13-Hour Markup, Republicans Pass Partisan HEA Reauthorization Under the Cover of Night
12.13.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, the Committee on Education and the Workforce held a markup on H.R. 4508, the "Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act." H.R. 4508 makes college more expensive for millions of students and families by forcing students to borrow more, pay more to borrow more, and pay more to repay student loans. Just like the Republican tax plan, it puts corporate profits before students, asking families and students to pay more for a lower qua… Continue Reading