Press Release: 32 Military and Veteran Service Organizations Urge President Trump to Support Veterans and Military-Connected Students From Loans Incurred as a Result of Fraud

Carrie Wofford | President (202) 838-5050

March 13, 2020

Joint letter to the President comes after the historic bipartisan passage of H.J. Res. 76 which overturns harmful borrower defense rules by the Department of Education

Washington, D.C. – Thirty-two of the nation’s leading military and veteran service organizations, including Veterans Education Success, signed onto a joint letter urging President Trump to stand with veterans and military-connected students in supporting H.J. Res 76. This development comes two days after the historic bipartisan vote in both the Senate and the House to overturn the recent borrower defense rule at the Department of Education which makes it virtually impossible for borrowers who have been defrauded by their colleges to obtain relief.

The letter to the President calls on Mr. Trump to, “please stand with servicemembers, veterans, their families, and survivors” in supporting the bipartisan resolution to, “help veterans and military-connected students get relief from student loans they incurred as a result of fraud.” The letter closes by asking the President to, “please join us in ensuring that the men and women who have served their country honorably are not burdened with student loans that result from fraud.”

Veterans have long been targeted by deceptive practices from unscrupulous colleges and subject to deceptive marketing and recruiting practices because of the 90/10 loophole. A borrower defense rule that grants borrowers a fair process in having their federal student loans discharged if they were misled, deceived, or defrauded has been an important priority for veterans’ groups including Veterans Education Success, including in a letter from 27 veterans groups to the Education Department in 2018 and a letter from 37 veterans groups to Congress in 2019.

Ten Republican Senators joined in passing the joint resolution, demonstrating its bipartisan support.

To read the letter click here.

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About Veterans Education Success

Veterans Education Success is a veteran advocacy organization whose mission is to advance higher education success for veterans, service members, and military families, and to protect the integrity and promise of the GI Bill and other federal education programs. The organization offers free legal services, advice, and college and career counseling to servicemembers, veterans, their survivors, and families using federal education benefits – and helps them participate in their democracy by engaging with policymakers. Veterans Education Success also provides policy expertise to federal and state policymakers, and conducts non-partisan research on issues of concern to student veterans, including student outcomes and debt levels. Additional information is available at www.vetsedsuccess.org.