Dupage Policy Journal

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in writing a letter this week to the U.S. Department of Education (ED), urging immediate action to stop millions in federal funds from being provided to potentially fraudulent for-profit institutions.

“As demonstrated by the catastrophic closure of Corinthian Colleges, Inc., earlier this year, the current program's integrity structure does not provide sufficient protection to prevent federal dollars from being squandered at illegitimate institutions” the senators wrote. “Allowing fraudulent for-profit schools to continue collecting federal funding until they collapse is unacceptable. As an integral component of the program-integrity triad designed to ensure institutional quality, ED has the responsibility and authority to curb the flow of federal financial aid funding going to for-profit schools that have defrauded their students.”

A recent report published by the New York Times revealed fraudulent practices.

"For the large number of for-profit institutions that are under investigation by federal and state authorities, we urge the department to use evidence of fraudulent misrepresentation uncovered by such investigations to place appropriate limitations on institution participation in the Title IV federal student-aid programs," the senators said.