WASHINGTON –Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) sent a letter to Comptroller General Gene. L. Dodaro requesting that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the Department of Education’s failure to respond timely or completely to several Committee oversight requests, including those relating to the Biden administration’s student loan bailout, foreign adversaries funding American universities, borrower defenses to repayment of student loans, and the botched rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
In the letter, Foxx writes: “I write to you today because I am deeply concerned by the Department of Education’s (Department) lack of responsiveness to the Committee’s oversight requests. The Department’s failure to cooperate with the Committee undermines Congress’ work on behalf of the American people.”
Foxx continues: “I have submitted many requests for information to the Department, yet it has continually failed to respond in a timely manner. For example, the Committee faced stonewalling when it asked for documents, briefings, and transcribed interviews to detail how the Department planned to restart student loan payments after a three-year freeze on payments due to COVID. … On October 31, 2023, the Committee issued a subpoena to the Secretary due to the Department’s unwillingness to provide the requested borrower defense information.Now—nearly four months after being compelled to produce information—the Department has still not fully complied with the subpoena.”
Foxx concludes by requesting that GAO examine the following questions:
What is the Department’s process for responding to congressional oversight requests for information about postsecondary programs?
What is known about the timeliness of the Department’s responses to these requests?
