WASHINGTON (June 1, 2020) – Today, Wil Del Pilar, vice president for higher education at The Education Trust, issued the following statement:

“President Trump’s decision to veto a bipartisan congressional resolution to overturn the odious borrower defense regulation promulgated by Secretary DeVos is disheartening, but unsurprising. The fact that the president waited to make this decision until late Friday afternoon, a day before the deadline, indicates how damaging this rule will be to hundreds of thousands of borrowers who will be denied the relief they deserve after being preyed upon by predatory for-profit colleges. The rule will result not only in the denial of justice for current borrowers, but it also dramatically narrows the rights of future borrowers against the same predatory for-profits that the Secretary has consistently supported during her tenure. The rule would be especially damaging to low-income students, students of color, and veterans, and is opposed by dozens of stakeholders who advocate for educational access for those communities.

We urge Congress to override the president’s veto, and failing that, pass legislation to restore the borrower defense rule to its 2016 status, re-opening the pathway to give defrauded students the relief they deserve.”

###