Press Releases

Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12), a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, today spoke during debate on the House floor in opposition to overriding President Trump’s veto of H.J.Res. 76. This partisan resolution, which was vetoed by President Trump, provided congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to "Borrower Defense Institutional Accountability.” Congressman Allen’s remarks can be found below.

I rise today to voice my strong opposition to overriding President Trump’s veto.

We can all agree that no student should be intentionally misled and schools engaging in fraudulent misrepresentation must be held accountable, but the Obama-era borrower defense regulations lacked clarity and simply did not function.

The 2016 regulations did not make the critical distinction between fraud and unintentional mistakes made by schools.

Under the rule, the Education Department can impose significant financial penalties on institutions found to engage in fraud – but with no distinction, this can cause a school to have to close despite no intentional wrongdoing – hurting students on their path toward higher education.

That’s why President Trump took decisive action and created the 2019 borrower defense rule to clear this up.

The Trump Administration’s solution delivers relief to students, including veterans, who have been lied to and suffered financial harm.

It would also save taxpayers $11 billion by helping students complete their education rather than indiscriminately closing schools.

The Trump rule will ensure due process for all parties, while also ensuring institutions engaging in fraudulent misrepresentation are held accountable.

When Democrats originally brought forward a resolution to disapprove of this new, common-sense rule, I voted no- and I will vote no again today.

I thank President Trump for rightfully using his veto authority, because we cannot go back to the Obama-era regulations that hurt students and taxpayers.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this measure today.

###