Rep. Adams Delivers Floor Speech on Veto Override of H.J. Res. 76

Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of overriding President Trump's veto of H.J.Res. 76, Blocking DeVos Rule That Denies Relief to Students Defrauded by Predatory Colleges.

A copy of the video is available here and on Facebook.

A radio-ready .mp3 file of the speech is available here.

The DeVos version of the “Borrower Defense Rule” is one more special interest gift from Secretary DeVos to predatory, for-profit colleges. Instead of working on behalf of students and taxpayers, Secretary DeVos is taking actions that enrich predatory, for-profit colleges that leave students with crushing debt and useless degrees. In spite of the President's disingenuous veto message, the DeVos Rule in no way benefits Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Rep. Adams' vote today to override the President’s veto of H.J.Res. 76 is one more attempt to protect defrauded students and taxpayers by immediately blocking the DeVos Rule from going into effect on July 1st. If implemented, the share of eligible loan debt forgiven under the Borrower Defense Rule would drop from 53 percent using the Obama-era standard to just under 3 percent under the new DeVos rule. 

Rep. Adams' remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure to override the President’s veto, and to stand up for our nation’s 20 million college students.

Secretary DeVos’s rule would harm tens of thousands of college students and allow bad actors to continue some of the worst practices, such as forcing students to sign pre-arbitration agreements that limit their rights.

We cannot allow predatory institutions to steal the dream of a college degree from any child.

Additionally Mr. Speaker, I want to comment on how shameful it is that in his veto message, President Trump used Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as cover for his pro-fraud, anti-student agenda. 

I want to be clear: no HBCU has ever been implicated in a Borrower Defense claim, and no HBCU has voiced support for Secretary DeVos’ rule. That's fake news.

It is time that President Trump and Secretary DeVos begin standing up for North Carolinians seeking opportunity, instead of laying down to our nation’s worst institutions.

And if they won’t do it, Congress will.

I yield back. 

Key Points:

·         Today, the House will vote on overriding the President’s veto of H.J.Res. 76, Blocking DeVos Rule That Denies Relief to Students Defrauded by Predatory Colleges.  

·         Earlier this year, a bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate successfully passed H.J.Res. 76, sending the joint resolution to the President’s desk. If enacted, H.J.Res. 76 would immediately block a highly damaging Trump Administration Rule – a rule issued by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that would make it much harder for defrauded student borrowers to get relief, severely restrict how much relief borrowers can receive, and shift the cost of providing relief from predatory colleges to taxpayers.

·         On May 29, President Trump vetoed H.J.Res. 76.

H.J.Res. 76 Is Supported by Numerous Key Organizations, Including Many Veterans’ Groups:

·         H.J.Res. 76 is supported by numerous organizations:  

·         For a letter supporting H.J.Res. 76 from a large coalition of 57 key groups, click here. These groups include the American Association of University Professors, The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS), NAACP, National Urban League, UnidosUS, Young Invincibles, AFL-CIO, SEIU, Third Way, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, The Education Trust, Student Veterans of America, Veterans Education Success, and Veterans for Common Sense.

·         For a letter supporting H.J.Res. 76 from the American Legion, click here.

·         For a letter supporting H.J.Res. 76 from 32 military and veteran service organizations, click here. The organizations include Vietnam Veterans of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, VetsFirst, Blue Star Families, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Military Officers Association of America, National Military Family Association, Service Women’s Action Network, Association of the United States Army, and Association of the United States Navy.

·         For a letter supporting H.J.Res. 76 from State Attorneys General from numerous states, click here.

Background Information on the Consideration of H.J.Res. 76 During This Congress:

·         In January 2020, the House brought up and considered H.J.Res. 76, Blocking DeVos Rule That Denies Relief to Students Defrauded by Predatory Colleges.  The joint resolution was brought up under the Congressional Review Act. The Congressional Review Act, enacted in 1996, gives Congress 60 legislative days to overturn a final rule, once it is submitted to Congress. H.J.Res. 76 was House Democrats’ first use of the Congressional Review Act to reverse a Trump Administration rule.

·         On January 16, 2020, the House passed H.J.Res. 76 by a vote of 231 to 180, with 225 Democrats and 6 Republicans voting YEA and 179 Republicans and 1 Independent voting NAY. (2020 House Vote #22).  

·         Then, on March 11, 2020, the Senate passed H.J.Res.76, by a vote of 53 to 42, with 43 Democrats and 10 Republicans voting YEA, 42 Republicans voting NAY, and four Democrats and 1 Republican not voting.  (2020 Senate Vote #70).

·         Then, on May 29, 2020, President Trump vetoed the joint resolution.

Background Information on The Borrower Defense Rule:

·         In 2016, following the collapse of Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute – two major for-profit college chains that consistently defrauded students—President Obama issued the Borrower Defense Rule, creating a streamlined process to help defrauded borrowers access relief and move forward with their lives.

·         However, since taking office in 2017, Secretary DeVos has openly refused to implement the Obama-era Borrower Defense Rule, which has left hundreds of thousands of defrauded borrowers waiting for relief.

·         Then, in August 2019, DeVos issued a drastically revised “Borrower Defense Rule,” which makes it harder for defrauded borrowers to get relief, severely restricts how much relief borrowers can receive, and shifts the cost of providing debt relief from predatory schools to taxpayers.

·         An analysis of the new DeVos Rule estimates that the share of eligible loan debt forgiven under the Borrower Defense Rule would drop from 53 percent using the Obama-era standard to just 3 percent under the new DeVos Rule.

Congresswoman Alma Adams represents North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District (Charlotte) and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, she serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Education & Labor Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. In 2015, she founded the Adams Hunger Initiative to address food insecurity across Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and the 12th Congressional District.

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