Sandy Springs, GA — Following an announcement yesterday from the U.S. Department of Education that it will extend closed school discharges totaling $1.1 billion to 115,000 additional student borrowers who attended the now-closed ITT Technical Institute (ITT), Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06) commended the Department for taking an additional step toward providing relief to defrauded and misled students. 

McBath has been a strong advocate on behalf of students who have been defrauded and misled by institutions of higher education following the March 2019 closure of the Argosy University campus in the Sixth District that left 1,500 students without a transferrable degree or loan forgiveness. The announcement today works toward many of the goals laid out in her bill, the Relief for Defrauded Students Act of 2019, legislation she introduced to make permanent the Obama-era borrower defense program that would help provide relief for student borrowers.  

“I applaud the Biden Administration and the Education Department for taking another step in providing relief for students,” said McBath. “I have fought on behalf of student borrowers to make sure there is a quick and fair process to secure financial relief from predatory institutions, and it is why I introduced the Relief for Defrauded Students Act, so that we could protect the success of our students as they pursue higher education.”

The latest extension includes $1.1 billion in loan discharges, bringing the total amount of approved by the Department since January 2021 to $9.5 billion, affecting over 563,000 borrowers.

“We know that many of these students are veterans who have served our country and were then defrauded by predatory institutions,” McBath continued. “We must continue our work in Congress to deliver relief to student borrowers, protect future generations from institutions who cannot and will not deliver on their promises, and safeguard the well-being of American families."