Advancing Educational Freedom

The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee’s Senior Republican, Minnesota Rep. John Kline, issued the following statement this evening on President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address: On education reform… "There is no doubt we need to reform our federal education laws, and Republicans are anxious to enact policies that empower parents, teachers, and communities to provide a quality ... Read more »

“Because of the type of software developed specifically for our current computer system, our transition process is not simply a matter of purchasing and rapidly installing an ‘off the shelf’ program. Transition to direct lending would require an investment of well over a million dollars and a timeline for implementation exceeding one year….To add the cost of converting our system to direct lending... Read more »

In September, House Democrats passed H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. To date, the Senate has not taken any legislative action or signaled when it plans to consider the bill. The legislation fulfills President Obama’s call to abolish the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and replace it with a system of government-run lending directly from the U.S. Treasury. Thi... Read more »

U.S. Senators Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Reps. John Kline (R-MN) and Brett Guthrie (R-KY) today wrote college and university presidents regarding their legislation that would preserve critical student loan options for another year. The Members are working to extend the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL) which has successfully helped millions of Americans re... Read more »

Dear Chairman Miller: In recent months I have grown increasingly concerned by reports that Department of Education officials are improperly using taxpayer resources to advocate for the Administration’s proposal to eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan program. House and Senate Democrats have likewise questioned the Administration’s “aggressive outreach,” and the Wall Street Journal reported... Read more »

Dear Secretary Duncan: Three days ago, the Office of Management and Budget published the Open Government Initiative, which OMB Director Peter Orzag pledged “will help to make government more open, transparent, and accountable to bridge the gap between the American people and their government.” In fact, the Obama Administration has made openness and transparency a marquee promise to the American p... Read more »

The Washington Times editorial page is crying foul over recent efforts by the Obama Administration to pressure and cajole colleges and universities to abandon the most widely used federal student loan program in favor of the government-run alternative known as the Direct Loan program. “Despite the fact that the scheme is not yet law, Department of Education officials began writing letters as early... Read more »

Representative John Kline (R-MN), Ranking Member on the House Education and Labor Committee, and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced today they are introducing bipartisan legislation to extend the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act (ECASLA). This effort, like the original legislation, would maintain stability... Read more »

Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, has requested information about the Education Department’s efforts to influence pending legislation that would end private sector-based federal student loans. Kline’s request comes in response to multiple media accounts alleging that department officials have pressed colleges and universities to support the... Read more »

This hearing is about how the federal government works with all institutions of higher education to ensure that the student eligibility requirements for federal student aid outlined in the Higher Education Act are being met. I understand that there is significant history on this topic before us and I look forward to hearing more about GAO’s study and the oversight measures that are being taken to ... Read more »