Durbin, Markey, Waters Lead 72 Colleagues In Calling On Department Of Education To Discharge Loans For Defrauded Borrowers
In the letter, the lawmakers urge the Biden Administration to act on students' behalf before the President-elect Trump is sworn in
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA-43) today called on the Department of Education to discharge student loan debt for hundreds of thousands of students who were defrauded by predatory schools. During the first Trump Administration, defrauded borrowers’ applications for debt relief were left to languish for years, and if reviewed, were often denied. In their letter today, the lawmakers called for the Department to use its authority to immediately discharge debt.
Since 2022, the Department has announced group discharges for more than?1.2 million individuals?who attended schools that engaged in documented fraud and misconduct, including ITT Technical Institute and Corinthian Colleges. Yet, hundreds of thousands of borrowers are still awaiting their discharges. Many additional borrowers are eligible for borrower defense group discharge because they attended schools forwhich the Department possesses evidence of fraud and misconduct; 400,000 borrowers have submitted individual applications for borrower defense discharges that the Department has yet to process.
“Time and time again, for-profit schools make false promises to students, claiming that they can push them ahead in life. Instead, these schools siphon off federal student aid dollars while leaving students in crushing debt and with a near useless degree,” said Durbin. “The incoming administration has a troubling track record of favoring for-profit colleges over scammed students. It’s critical that the Biden administration swiftly approves any and all borrower defense applications and discharge the debt of those who attended a fraudulent for-profit school.”
In the letter to the Department of Education, the lawmakers wrote, “The Biden administration has demonstrated a commitment to supporting student borrowers and mitigating the devastating impact of student loan debt, including issuing targeted debt relief to hundreds of thousands of borrowers defrauded by predatory higher education institutions.”
The lawmakers continued, “We urge the Department of Education to follow through on its commitment by immediately processing debt discharges for borrowers already approved for relief; issuing additional discharges for students who attended institutions with documented histories of predatory practices; and processing any outstanding borrower defense applications.”
A copy of the letter can be found here.
In addition to Durbin and Markey, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeffrey A. Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT), and Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM).
In addition to Waters, the letter is signed by U.S. Representatives André Carson (IN-07), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Robin L. Kelly (Il-02), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Erica Lee Carter (TX-18), Gwen S. Moore (WI-04), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Cori Bush (MO-01), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), Greg Casar (TX-35), Mark Takano (CA-39), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), John B. Larson (CT-01), Lucy McBath (GA-07), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), Summer L. Lee (PA-12), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Al Green (TX-09), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Frederica S. Wilson (FL-17), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-14), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Adam Smith (WA-09), Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Jennifer L. McClellan (VA-04), Sean Casten (IL-06), Grace Meng (NY-06), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Nikema Williams (GA-05), and Robert Garcia (CA-42).
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