WASHINGTON—Today, the House of Representatives failed to override President Trump’s veto of H.J.Res.76, a bipartisan joint resolution that would have blocked a Trump Administration rule that would make it more difficult for students defrauded by for-profit institutions to receive much-needed debt relief.

“Instead of protecting vulnerable student borrowers from predatory for-profit institutions, President Trump and Secretary DeVos have repeatedly sided with the very institutions that defrauded them,” said Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva. “Their rule is a gift to this unscrupulous industry that preys on students of color, veterans, and those of low-income to steal tax-payer money while leaving them with useless degrees and mountains of debt. I voted to protect these students from Trump, Betsy DeVos, and their for-profit college cronies. I wish more of my Republican colleagues would have done the same.”

Since becoming Secretary of Education in 2017, DeVos has consistently refused to implement President Obama’s Borrower Defense Rule and provide students with debt relief. In 2019, Secretary DeVos issued her own ruling that would make it harder for students to get relief, restrict how much relief they receive, and shift the costs of providing debt relief away from for-profit schools and onto the back of taxpayers.

“The Department of Education is supposed to help students, but Secretary DeVos has done nothing but antagonize them with her policies,” continued Rep. Grijalva. “Today’s vote cemented the legacy of congressional Republicans as those who will always stand with Trump over the interests of our students. I will continue fighting against the Trump Administration’s efforts to block debt relief for those who need it the most.”