Fellow Illinoisan,

Yesterday, Republicans and Democrats came together to stand up for hundreds of thousands of defrauded students and veterans.  In a bipartisan vote, Senators chose to put students first by overturning Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ new borrower defense rule. 

This disastrous new rule would gut essential protections for student borrowers, making it almost impossible for future borrowers to get relief if they are defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges.  DeVos’ own Department estimates that the new rule would eliminate nearly $11 billion in relief for defrauded student borrowers and veterans.  We could not allow that.

DURBIN ON SENATE VOTE OVERTURNING DEVOS BORROWER DEFENSE RULE

Thankfully, both the House and Senate were able to come together on a bipartisan basis to reject the DeVos rule.  In doing so, Congress has now made it clear to Secretary DeVos and President Trump that we expect borrowers who are defrauded by their schools to have a fair path to student debt relief under the borrower defense provision of the Higher Education Act. 

Now it’s up to the President to sign this resolution and join Republicans and Democrats in Congress, and the majority of Americans - 71 percent of Republican and 87 percent of Democrats - in standing with defrauded veterans and student borrowers.  They are entitled to this relief under federal law. We must not let Betsy DeVos take that away.  

Sincerely, 

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)