CECU on public comment submitted by Senators Durbin, Murray, and colleagues to U.S. Department of Education
Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU)
7/8/2021
Arlington, Va. — Today, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced that he and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), along with a group of 10 additional senators, sent a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Education regarding the Department’s upcoming Title IV rulemaking.
In the letter, the senators urge the Department to enact a number of regulations to address what they call “predatory for-profit institutions.”
Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) President and CEO Dr. Jason Altmire had this to say in response to the letter:
“The senators are to be commended for their commitment to students and for holding institutions of higher education accountable. We share the goal of protecting students and hope the senators will join Secretary Cardona and us in supporting accountability measures that apply to all institutions in all sectors.”
Altmire continued,
“Why would the authors of the letter support recommendations that hold harmless institutions that represent 92 percent of students enrolled in postsecondary education and account for 70 percent of federal loan defaults? Shouldn’t those institutions have to abide by the same rules the senators seek to apply only to proprietary institutions? We look forward to working with the Department during the upcoming negotiated rulemaking to help develop equitable and sensible regulations that protect all students and taxpayers.”
CECU continues to work with bipartisan allies in Congress to advocate for regulatory reform that holds all schools in all sectors accountable for their outcomes.
BACKGROUND
On July 1, 2021, CECU submitted written comments in response to the U.S. Department of Education public hearings on potential topics for future Title IV rulemakings.
CECU’s written comments followed oral comments made by CECU’s President and CEO, Dr. Jason Altmire, on June 24. To view CECU’s written comments click here, and to view Dr. Altmire’s testimony click here.
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Please direct media inquiries to Rachel Tripp, Director of Communications, at Rachel.Tripp@career.org
