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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Accountable.US is urging the Biden administration to commit to reversing the Trump administration’s corrupt and harmful higher education policies as part of its Damage Control project, highlighting immediate actions President-elect Biden can take after being sworn in on January 20. 

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration have sold out Americans to their allies at for-profit colleges and left our public servants out to dry, all to benefit campaign donors and the special interests who profit by defrauding vulnerable students. 

“President-elect Biden has always fought to make it easier for students to pursue higher education, and we are calling on him to commit to reversing the dangerous rules and actions of the Trump administration that have helped exacerbate the student debt crisis,” said Chris Saeger, spokesperson for Accountable.US. “Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos prioritized their friends at for-profit colleges over vulnerable American students, making it harder for individuals to seek relief after being defrauded by shady organizations and refusing to provide relief to public servants. The Biden administration must act quickly to reverse the damage done by the Trump administration.”

The Biden administration should take action to reverse these policies to protect students and invest in Americans’ future workforce:

  • Protect students from predatory for-profit colleges by restoring the Obama-Biden administration’s gainful employment rule, which the Trump administration rescinded, making it harder for students to receive an education that actually advances their careers.
     
  • Restore full student debt relief to students who have been defrauded by reverting back to the Obama-Biden administration’s borrower defense rule, which the Trump administration changed in a boon to shady for-profit colleges.
     
  • Stop the Trump administration’s efforts to deny public servants student debt relief by approving Public Service Loan Forgiveness applications and revisiting the 99% of applications denied by the Trump administration without justification.
     
  • Block vendors from profiting off vulnerable students through Betsy DeVos’s pilot program that disburses financial aid funds on debit cards, which was developed by Department officials with significant ties to the companies that stood to benefit from it.
     
  • Reinstate sufficient oversight to ensure student borrowers are protected from predatory lenders and for-profit colleges, many of whom have contributed heavily to President Trump and his allies.
     
  • Overturn the certification of for-profit colleges that have cheated students — a move the Trump administration pursued at the behest of lobbyists with close ties to the Trump administration.
     
  • Remove the former private student loan servicer from the ombudsman position and instruct the CFPB under new leadership to prioritize candidates with backgrounds in advocacy and consume protection work for this, and other, career positions and political appointments.

Accountable.US released full documentation for the corrupt origins of these harmful policies on its Damage Control site, which catalogs solutions to harmful Trump policies the Biden administration should pursue to make the government work for all Americans again.

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