Democratic attorney generals from 18 states and the District of Columbia sued U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Thursday over her decision to suspend rules that were meant to protect students from abuse by for-profit colleges.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, says DeVos violated rule-making laws when she announced a June 14 decision to delay so-called borrower defense to repayment rules, which were finalized under President Barack Obama and scheduled to take effect July 1.
In her announcement saying the rules would be delayed and rewritten, DeVos said they created “a muddled process that’s unfair to students and schools.”
Education Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Hill called the lawsuit by attorneys generals “ideologically driven” and said the now-delayed rules suffered from “substantive and procedural flaws” that need to be addressed.
“That is why the Secretary decided it was time to take a step back and hit pause on these regulations … to make sure these rules achieve their purpose: helping harmed students,” Hill said in a statement.