(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement on reports that House Republicans plan to introduce a partisan Higher Education Act reauthorization bill that would cut significant investments in federal aid and would put corporations’ bottom lines ahead of students’ best interests.
“Today’s students face a growing number of hurdles to earn a degree, including affording rising tuition costs, finding a program to train them with the skills for today’s economy, and increasing levels of harassment and discrimination on campuses. So it’s extremely disappointing that House Republicans are taking another partisan step in the wrong direction and introducing a plan that would harm students by cutting billions in financial aid and undermining protections for survivors of sexual assault. And despite the concerning number of predatory for-profit colleges that have taken advantage of students, this bill would give for-profits more taxpayer money, while loosening the standards they need to uphold. We have a record of solving big issues in education with broad, bipartisan legislation, so I hope Republicans abandon these ill-conceived efforts and work with us to reauthorize the Higher Education Act through a comprehensive approach that puts students’ and borrowers’ best interests first."
