U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) on June 26 was one of six Republicans who joined Democrats in voting to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a resolution that would have paved the way for those who have been defrauded by their colleges to have their student loans forgiven.
“Providing student loan debt relief is one of my top priorities,” said Rep. Davis. “That is why I joined my Democratic colleagues in voting to support students who were defrauded by for-profit colleges and provide them with debt relief.”
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate earlier this year passed House Joint Resolution (H.J. Res.) 76 to block a rule issued on Sept. 23, 2019, by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) that revised the process for a student loan borrower to obtain a discharge from a student loan if an institution of education misrepresented certain facts, according to the congressional record summary.
Specifically, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had issued the revised Student Borrower Defense Rule, which essentially would make it more difficult for students to seek debt relief, according to Rep. Davis’ office.
H.J. Res. 76 would have held up the Obama administration’s 2016 Student Borrower Defense Rule, which created a streamlined process for students who were defrauded by for-profit colleges to seek debt relief. Congress passed the resolution and, in May, sent it to the president for his signature to make it law.
But on May 29, Trump vetoed the resolution. The House on June 26 then voted 238-173 to override the president’s veto, but the effort fell short of getting the necessary two-thirds support to pass.
“We should be doing everything we can to address the growing student loan crisis and prepare students for worthwhile careers post-high school and college,” Rep. Davis said on Friday.