WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday that it will reassign many of its core responsibilities to other federal agencies.
Jaylon Herbin, director of federal policy at the Center for Responsible Lending, issued the following statement:
The move represents an alarming escalation in the administration’s broader effort to dismantle the Department of Education and weaken its ability to protect student borrowers. Stripping the department of essential oversight functions will leave low-income borrowers and borrowers of color without the federal safeguards designed to shield them from abuse, discrimination and predatory practices.
Fragmenting oversight across agencies with no experience regulating colleges or enforcing student protections undermines decades of progress in fair access to higher education. This action not only erodes ED’s authority but jeopardizes vital work such as investigating borrower complaints, monitoring predatory institutions and providing affordable repayment plans and relief.
Let’s be clear: Congress alone has the authority to dismantle the Department of Education. We urge lawmakers to intervene immediately to halt this unprecedented transfer of power and ensure that students and borrowers continue to receive the strong federal protections they deserve.
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Press Contact: Vincenza Previte vincenza.previte@responsiblelending.org