Press Releases

Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Charlie Crist (D – St. Petersburg) released the following statement on House passage of H.J. Res 76, which would overturn a new rule implemented by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to make it harder for students defrauded by predatory colleges to have their loans forgiven. The legislation passed by a vote of 231-180.

Congressman Crist has previously led calls for action by the U.S. Department of Education to protect defrauded students, like those impacted by the closure of Argosy University in Tampa.

“The Department of Education should be protecting students from predatory and fraudulent institutions of higher education, not making them more vulnerable. Students who were taken advantage of – like those in Tampa Bay by now-defunct Argosy University – have had their lives turned upside down by companies who didn’t make good on their promises,” said Rep. Crist. “In the People’s House, we are working to overturn this misguided effort that puts profits over students.”

In 2016, following the collapse of two major for-profit college chains that consistently defrauded students, President Obama issued the Borrower Defense rule, creating a streamlined process to help defrauded borrowers access relief and move forward with their lives.

In 2019, the Department of Education updated the rule, eliminating automatic relief to students whose schools closed before they finished, shifting the burden of proof and responsibility onto the shoulders of vulnerable students.