Skip to main content

Cohen Reacts to Department of Education’s Newly-Announced Debt Relief Process for Corinthian Students

June 8, 2015

[MEMPHIS, TN] – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued the following statement today regarding U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s decision to extend debt relief to a broader group of former students who attended the now-defunct for-profit Corinthian Colleges:

“Corinthian-owned colleges engaged in fraudulent practices, including inflating job-placement rates, resulting in millions of dollars in federal fines,” said Congressman Cohen. “While the company has since closed or sold its for-profit colleges, too many former Corinthian students still carry the burden of student loans for worthless degrees or programs they cannot complete. Secretary Duncan’s decision will help many of these students find relief they deserve, but questions remain about the scope of his announcement. I hope the debt relief process developed by the Department of Education for Corinthian’s former students is as inclusive and broad as possible. We should do everything we can to put students first.”

In today’s announcement, the Department of Education also called on Congress to take action to prevent another for-profit college from taking advantage of students by passing several reforms. Congressman Cohen’s PRO Students Act, which he introduced with U.S. Representatives Mark Takano (CA-41) and Susan Davis (CA-53), would implement many of these recommendations.

Issues:Education