Press Release/Statement | August 30, 2019

Statement on the Final Borrower Defense Rule

Author: Statement of James Kvaal

“The Trump Administration has neglected 180,000 borrowers seeking relief from illegal acts by their colleges, many for years. If that wasn’t clear enough evidence that they are not an ally to students, its final borrower defense rule published today is resounding proof.

“The new “borrower defense rule” does anything but defend students. In fact, it makes it almost impossible for students who are lied to, defrauded, or otherwise abused by their colleges to get a fresh start. It requires students to submit evidence that students do not have and cannot get, and it prevents students who were harmed as a group from getting relief as a group. By the Department’s own estimates, their rule would discharge only a tiny fraction of the loans made to cheated borrowers.

“By leaving students on the hook for colleges’ illegal actions, today’s rule sends a clear message that there will be little or no consequences for returning to the misrepresentations and deceptions that characterized the for-profit college boom.”

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