Over a dozen attorneys general are suing the Trump administration for the Education Department’s refusal to comply with an Obama-era regulation that cracks down on career programs set forth by for-profit colleges.
Earlier this year, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said she would delay the enforcement of Obama’s “gainful employment” rule which drops federal financial aid for career colleges that leave students with massive debt and low salaries.
The 18 Democratic attorneys general argue the these college programs “[leave] students vulnerable to exploitation and fraud.”
The Obama-era regulation sought to put an end to that practice by forcing these colleges to warn students of their poor post-graduation outcomes and eventually strip students of the ability to take out loans to attend.
However, DeVos wants to delay the rule and eventually create a new one to replace it.
In the meantime, these lawyers claim the secretary is breaking the law by refusing to enforce the Obama-era rule, which they note has been upheld by the courts.
In response, Education Department spokeswoman Liz Hill wrote in a statement, “this is just the latest in a string of frivolous lawsuits filed by Democratic attorneys general who are only seeking to score quick political points.”
“While this administration, and Secretary DeVos in particular, continue work to replace this broken rule with one that actually protects students, these legal stunts do nothing more than divert time and resources away from that effort,” Hill added.
