September
19, 2014Dear
Friends,
Earlier this year we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the original G.I. Bill
and reflected on this landmark legislation that sent millions of veterans to our nation’s colleges
and universities. But even as we honored its history, we recognized some of the challenges facing the
current generation of veterans returning to the classroom.
In the past five years, 40 percent of Post-9/11 G.I. Bill tuition benefits have gone to for-profit
colleges, even as questions continue to be raised about for-profit institutions’ graduation, default,
and job placement rates. While not every for-profit school is a bad actor, I believe that one veteran
mistreated at a for-profit school is one veteran too many.
To give you an example, the for-profit chain Corinthian Colleges—which received $186 million
in Post-9/11 G.I. Bill dollars—just announced it is selling or closing 107 campuses nationwide
due to financial problems, leaving many veteran graduates wondering what value their degree will hold.
It’s another glaring reminder that Congress must remain diligent to protect military and veteran
students, as well as taxpayers.
As it turns out, there’s a loophole in the law that allows for-profit schools to receive
100 percent of their funding from the federal government. Some bad actors are exploiting this loophole
by aggressively recruiting veterans and G.I Bill tuition dollars, rather than obtaining 10 percent of
their revenue from non-federal sources. It’s called the 90/10 loophole.
I’m a big proponent of using common sense to address problems. That’s why this week
I introduced a piece of legislation called the Military and Veterans Education Protection
Act that would close the 90/10 loophole and encourage for-profit schools to better serve veterans and
taxpayers. Closing the 90/10 loophole is a common sense approach that demonstrates we’re serious
about improving education outcomes for our veterans.
I know the impact that education can have for veterans. I attended graduate school at the University
of Delaware thanks to the G.I. Bill and it fundamentally changed my life. I want other veterans to be
able to do the same with the confidence that they’re investing their time and benefits wisely.
That's why I introduced this bill and why I’ll continue to look for ways to protect the military,
veterans, and taxpayers from bad actors in the for-profit sector.
Sincerely,

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