Late last week, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos returned to Capitol Hill to testify before the appropriations subcommittee overseeing education funding to defend her department's proposed budget for the 2020 fiscal year, Politico reported.
Democratic lawmakers argued that DeVos' effort to overhaul a wide-range of higher education rules could hinder bipartisan negotiations over reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Labor-HHS-Education panel Patty Murray (D-WA) said that she is "very hopeful" about getting a bill passed this year but is troubled by the Trump administration's sweeping plans in the meantime. Sec. DeVos eschewed Murray's suggestion to halt the rulemaking process, stating "I don't think we're going to have any final rule prior to Memorial Day, but we are going to continue with our timeline."
Senators also questioned the Education Secretary about the backlog of claims from defrauded student loan borrowers. More than 140,000 applications for student debt relief are pending at the department, and DeVos could not tell lawmakers whether any of them have been approved, reported The Washington Post.
The agency last released updates on the status of student loan fraud claims four months ago. At that point, tens of thousands of applications were in the queue. That number has increased by hundreds every day, according to data the department provided the Senate panel.
Sec. DeVos testified that her agency regularly reviews borrower defense to repayment claims, and she "believes" claims have been approved this year. But neither the secretary nor her staff in attendance could provide specific numbers.
People close to the matter who are not authorized to speak publicly say no new applications have been approved or denied, according to the Post.
The Trump administration has been reluctant to use its authority to discharge loans. Sec. DeVos tried to block Obama-era revisions to simplify the process for students and shift more of the cost of discharging loans onto schools. However, a federal judge in October ordered the immediate implementation of the Obama regulation.
"There is nothing preventing you from providing relief to struggling borrowers today," Sen. Murray said at the hearing. "I don't understand why the department can't fully discharge the loan today for tens of thousands who were defrauded years ago by Corinthian Colleges."
DeVos responded, "The Corinthian College claims are being processed and dealt with forthwith, and will continue to be."
Related Links
Politico
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-education/2019/03/29/trump-backs-down-on-proposed-special-olympics-cuts-418307
The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/03/28/dont-you-have-heart-senate-democrats-press-devos-backlog-student-debt-relief-claims/