secretar who testified earlier today before the house education committee. meeting with the president romania at the white house. officials from the transportation deptment, american gas association and other organizations testified on pipeline and hazardous material safety. at a house o transportation and infrastructure subcommittee heing. that and more coming up tonight's on cspan2. we are funded by these television companies and more so students can low income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything.

give you a front row seat to democracy. told house lawmakers that hate has no place on college campuses. he testified on the department's departmentspolicies and prioritn capitol hill. made the comment response recent acts of anti-semitism pro- palestinian demonstrations secretary also acknowledge delays student aid application process. the hearing is three and half hours.

[background noises] clicks committee at education

workforce will come to order. i note a quorum is present. authorize call to recess at any time. mr. secretary is truly excited that a person with your personal and educational background was named secretary of education. and you know i have told you that. however, you have not lived up to your potential. the educational decline was not without warning. upon your confirmation i issued a press release saying the teachers unions and left-wing special interest groups are keeping our schools closed despite the serious consequences forle students, academic success and mental health. serious consequencesre may have been the understatement of the century. since the last time you

testifiedem the national assessment of educational progress released 2022 math and reading scores. the results wered, disturbing. reading scores and plummeted to the lowest level in the history of the testing. across allll subjects american kate -- 12 student saw a steep drop in educational attainment thanks in large part to the biden administration lockdown policies. the negative consequences of learning loss for this generation future employment and earnings will be devastating. by which a greater tenure based on the state of k-12 schools, i would give you an f. failing scores are not the only negative development and education since her last oversight hearing. our the past seven months colleges across the nation have seen an unprecedented regression

and moral and institutional legitimacy isou anti-semitism ad pro- hamas protests have engulfed campuses. turn on the nose and news anduniversities such as coa and ucla look like on a recognizable war zones a bit from the beginning i urged a firm hand in dealing with the explosion of anti-semitism on campus. i have lead by example. you, on the other hand refused to even say from the river to the seat chant is anti-semitic. i saw this as a demon you unfit for public office and call for your resignation in february. with the outbreak of campus riots and more resolute so i will say itt again. you must resign. though to greater time is secretary based on the state of post secondary education i'll also give you an f.

our final report card grade is based on your tenure as an administrator. again i warned of the potential pitfalls of mismanaging programs such as the fafsa rollout and the student loan repayment. the department managed to bungle both pass the fastest implication in that lot for the entirety of your administration but last year it was filled with delays and excuses in march of 2023 after months of refusing to communicate a fafsa release date the department announced it would implementation of the fafsa simplification act fax from october 12 ended up being december 30, 2023. the october deadline should have come as no surprise. congress had already granted the department an additional year. you still cannot get the job done. then, december 30 soft launch

was filled with glitches. respective college students fought the random crashes and lengthy waiting rooms to submit their completed fafsa application only to be met with uncertainty. the applications that did make it through, larger percentages contain errors or unable to be corrected or both. in some cases these errors took months to fix. financial aid administrator survey of schools just last week found that over 30% of schools have still not even begun to package aid offers. thanks to your delays. the delays and uncertainty have crushed students and universities. fafsa completion rates have fallen 30% nationally we declined likely even higher among low income students. universities are expecting decreased enrollment in the

fall. they could be even worse than the pandemic. attending college is one of the most consequential choices that has been denied to them. some will put on the outside for life. that's what troubles me the most about this. may 1 should have been college decision day. but instead students are still stuck waiting for financial information. paralyzed by your ineptitude. fafsa should have been a top priority instead your actions prove time and again it wasn't. the department should have been putting time and resources into fafsa's pouring time and resources adds to your department action that could

cost taxpayers up to $1 trillion. for perspective these actions are more expensive than all post secondary spending before 2020. higher education act passed in 1965. yet you are projected to spent more on just the biden student loan debtre scheme than all othr secretaries spent since 1965. i've completely lost faith in this administration to govern your radicalism has alienated loan services and because the administration to bungle the return to repayment. 9 million borrowers missed the first repayment. i am not sure this administration ever wanted repayment i think you see it as a politically advantageous to kick the can down the road so you did. therefore if i were to greater tenure as an administrator i will give you an f. on all of the broad strokes you

have a failing grade there plenty of other specific issues to discuss today. the department is failed to protect young women with its title ix rewrites. failed to return employees to the office to work in person and failed to pass its 2023 financial audit. i see each of these failures as a result of the original failure the federal government inserted itself into education in the first place. there's good reasons why the word education does not appear in the constitution. education has done best when it's handled at the local level. the solution is not more of the same which is what the president's budget represents. but less of what his side tracked our country's educational system, the department of education itself. president ronald reagan famously once said nine most terrifying words of the english language

are i am from the government and i am here to help. with that i yield to the ranking member for an opening statement, mr. scott's very quick thank you doctor fox and good morning mr. secretary. thank you for being with us today. seventy years ago this month chief justice earl warren wrote the majority opinion in the unanimous opinion of brown versus board of education part of these days it's doubtful every child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life the opportunity with it education for at such an opportunity when the state is undertaken to provide it is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms. the court went on to say segregation of students by race denies the children of the minority race of an equal education opportunity because segregated schools are inherently unequal but regrettably today we must

acknowledge in 2024 america's public schools are a segregated by race and class as they were in the late 1960s. today we have a chance to hear from secretary cardona how the is working to finally fill the promise of brown and bolsters support for students and teachers while also tackling the systemic inequities present in our public school system. for example, at last congress democrats and president biden and acted to pass the american rescue plan act. without the support of a single republican vote the largest one-time federal investment in k-12 education in our nation's history. the investment is allocated using the title i a formula meeting the greatest resources went to the communities with the greatest need. these resources also allowed the school districts to make up for missed time in the classroom, respond to students and mental

and social/emotional needs and support educators. what the research shows as a alfederal investments resulted n a marked improvement in school children, and chicago, birmingham and nashville and other cities and counties around the country. additionally the department of education is also taken historic steps to route relieve the student borrowers of mountains unaffordable debt. this administration has forgiven more than $160 billion in student loan debt 4.6 million borrowers including some who were duped by theirs universities. enhancing income driven repayment plans in the public service loan forgiveness program future borrowers have a clear path to repayment. today i look forward to hearing from the secretary about how the department with the present status is in the free application first federal student aid, the fafsa rollout

back on track the community has communicated with you our concerns about the impact of the many delays on the student's college decisions made democrats suppressed policies to ensure every student has access to quality education the same time republicans have prioritized divisive culture war issues and have politicized classrooms, pushed book banning legislation and were consumed who uses which bathroom. moreover my colleagues frequently speak about the commemorative fighting campus discrimination. at their actions tell a different story. congressionalom republicans have significant cuts the department of education office of civil rights funding. which would inevitably hinder its ability to investigate and prosecute campus related discrimination claims. unfortunately this seems to be aware my colleagues are on the other side of the aisle when we often come to an impasse.

because complaining about a problem is not a solution. at the end of the day if we want to reduce rising tensions on college campuses made to advance meaningful legislation to actually address the problem. meaning less resolutions week after week turning the committee room into a political spectacle only seems to have exacerbated the problems instead of diffusing them. our students deserve more than to be used as ponds and political names and fundraising schemes. too that and i want to thank you mr. secretary for your testimony look forward to what i hope to be a productive discussion. thank you madam chair and i yield back. >> thinkca it mr. scott's. pursuant to committee rule all members who wish to insert written statement since the record may do so by submitting them to the committee clerk electronically and microsoft ant word format by 5:00 p.m. 14 days

after the date of the hearing which is may 22, 2024 without objection the hearing record will remain open for 14 days to allow such statements other extraneous material reference during the hearing to be submitted for the official hearing record. i now turn to the introduction of our witness. we have as our witness secretary at miguel cardona from the u.s. department of education located in washington d.c. we thank you for being here today and look forward to your testimony. i remind the witness we have read your written statement which will appear in full in the hearing record. pursuant to committee rule 8d and committee practice i ask that you limit your oral presentation to a five minute fe summary of your written statement. i also remind the witness to be aware of his responsibility to

provide accurate information to the committee. i now recognize mr. secretary for five minutes. >> thank you chairwoman fox, ranking member scott, distinguished members of the committee. thank you for the opportunity today to testify on president biden's fiscal year 2025 budget request for the united states department of education. my purpose here today is to propose a budget that helps protect insubordination students. to be clear is not to create a spectacle for the benefit of the media or to provoke divisions and affluent culture wars and political sideshows but do nothing to help our young people succeed. our nation's parents and students are looking for us to recognize we have common ground and to buildt that as a foundation for american

opportunity. it is a responsible choice it is a responsible choice to invest in a stronger future for all americans in achievement gaps and low income communities through title i. support students with disabilities through ida. simple multilingual learners through title iii recruit, prepare, retain and develop great teachers. it is a responsible choice to invest in safer schools and mental health of our students. to make more funding available for school counselors and mental health professionals. it is a responsible choice to give more young people access to the american dreamki by building

by improving college affordability, retention and completion. including through free community college and increase student support. and it is they responsible choice to fully honor nick caps under the bipartisan fiscal responsibility act as this budget does. let me emphasize, would we get beyond the noise and effort by some to create division, there is in fact so much common ground about what matters most our nation students. such as getting all students to read by third grade. providing mental health support in the midst of a mental health crisis. opening up college and career pathways and rewarding careers. making more accessible nursing

on college campuses that should be no place or threats of violence against jewish students. there is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind. the biden/harris administration the department of ed is taking action each and every day to help ensure schools and colleges are free from discrimination and safe for jewish students at all students and will continue to do so. make no mistake. it is discrimination and is prohibited by title vi of the civil rights act of 1964.

dissent is essential to democracy. dissent must never lead to disorder or denying the right of others so students can't finish their semester and their college education. hate has no place on college campuses. every student deserves to lure it in an environment where they feel free to be themselves. without discrimination or fear for their safety. that is why our budget provides for more resources for office for civil rights. to continue its strong response. i hope to work with you in partnership and constructive dialogue. we can't raise the bar for a nation students and we could do together. look for to doing so, thank you. >> thank you mr. secretary. under committee rule nine will without question the witness under the five minute rule. i asked members to keep your question sis synced so the witness has time to answer. i not recognize myself for five

minutes of questioning. mr. secretary you've probably been volunteering the taxpayer to take on the student loan that ofmy largely wealthy college graduates. do you believe students who spend their time in college calling for the destruction ofto it ethnic or religious group or spend their time preventing students of a particular ethnic or religious group from walking on campus freely or spend their time occupying campus buildings deserve to have their education paid for by taxpayers? cox i could not hear that well. if you're making reference to the student debt relief plant we have done, i'm really proud of the work we are doing to provide a lifeline for students who chose to go to college. >> i am talking about the students who are being anti-semitic and stomping -- backstopping jewish units from going to class and threatening

them. do you want to have the taxpayers pay their loans off? >> i believe students are breaking the law and are disrupting the educational environment should be held to account. to higher education. >> then will you commit to ensuring no student is harassed, other students are prevented other students are going to class or broken laws receives any student loan forgiveness? >> we are committed to making sure campuses are safe. i condemn any form of hate or any violence on campus. i have spoken to students and educators who have experienced that. >> we would like it on those who do break the law and make sure they do not receive student loan forgiveness. mr. secretary, fsa needs to have a deep and vast knowledge of how loan operation works giving fs a

is de facto the largest consumer bank in the country. indeed the performance statute contemplates high expectations of the coo. coo needs to be an operational and lending expert and have a keen understanding of massive lending operations. will you commit to finding a replacement for richard who has a real world experience leading a massive lending operation so that we can be assured the financial interest of the taxpayers are protected? >> thank you for the question but i am committed to making sure we have cheap chief operating officer that has experience and i look forward to working withbe you on a processo select it. >> thank you. it is similarar vein since september 19, 2023 i've been asking for the performance bonus for fy 22 of coo cordray in fy 23 for senior fsa staff

including coo. this is been met with delay after delay after delay per this should not be hard as these bonuses are required to be made public. if i do not receive the information requested by noon on the 14th you will be facing a subpoena. as i mentioned earlier fsa is a performance-based organization and has the ability to award bonuses to select employees including the chief operatingrl officer. did the errors that kpmg fy 2022 and fy 2023 and the out as a result it outth reduction or elimination paid the senior department fsa staff? >> thank you for the question for. >> simple answer yes or no. >> thank you for the question chairman fox. we take responding to your request very serious and we will continue to share information with you. i will make sure that we are communicating with your team on timeline to provide you the

information. >> did the audit have an impact on the bonuses yes or no? >> within the communication i would make sure the answers your question is there. i can tell you we take the audit information received very seriously. >> what are the practical consequences of the department's failure to obtain a clean audit for each of the last two years? >> we recognize how important it is to work with our auditors. we have disclaimers of opinions in the past. we are continuing to work with our auditors to make sure the information they provide us is uses we continue practices every year. >> on march 6, i transmitted a letter voicing my concerns about the department 16% occupancy rate. it has been two months since i wrote to you and three and half

months since white house chief of staff requested you and others remit a return. we commit to meet you will provide the documents requested nol later than may 17 kuester. >> i absolutely commit to providing you that information as quickly as possible. i hope before may 17. with increase those numbers significantly. i amso proud of the progress we are making. >> thank you mr. secretary. i now recognize mr. courtney for five minutes. >> thank you madame chairwoman and secretary cardona thank you for your service and presence here today for the department labor issued its jobs report. it showed the u.s. economy added 175,000 new jobs defying the skeptics and naysayers. we are not at a a place 27 secos

to months the u.s. unemployment rate has been below 4%. that is never happened in the history of this country. but, even with those numbers with self 8.5 million job openings in the u.s. economy. one of things that is so unique about your life experience and what you bring to the job that you are a graduate of wilcock tax in connecticut. who today, along with career and technical schools all over the country are on fire in terms of making sure young people are able to take advantage of record number of jobwi openings. one of your initiatives at the department of education has also been the career connected high school program. which again is about getting not just trade schools butgs comprehensive high schools into the act as far as connecting young people to the right skills enclosing the skills gap.

can you talk about progress with that program? certainly i've seen it in my district. >> cookson given much congressman. you know, i talk about common tn ground in my remarks. this is something that we should really be coming together for far too long in this country we've had a four-year college or bust mentality that i believe has underserved our students. our communities and our country. i am unapologetically in support of making sure all of our high schools not just our technical schools have pathway programs for students who explore careers and apprenticeships, internships, dual credit programs o so the students can t the credentials they need to pursue a four-year degree which is what i did after technical high school or go into the workforce or get a credential to get a high skill high paying

career. we are committed to that at the department of education to talk about an evolution of our schools for the career connected learning grant is something we are proposing 57 million-dollar increase would do just that. i visited schools that have done a really good job k-12 schools that are connected with two-year colleges. oftentimes four-year colleges in that industry partners or labor partners for students have better accessb. earlier to the trades, to the career that exists now. this is something i believe there is a lot of common ground on for our budget reflects interest in that we are it.itted to supporting >> i completely agree. i have visited a high school in my district. it is a public school in thompson, connecticut. where again because of the career pathways approach which your program encourages players are getting in the game to help fund projected healthcare sector because right now the 8.5 million job openings in

healthcare, that's probably one of the most acute shortfalls thatat exist. these kids are getting a chance to get certified as cna along their diploma when they graduate from high school but some will go right into work but others will actually go into nursing programs. and so it's not like either or for higher education are going into the workforce. either way you're getting a meaningful stimulus to students in terms of showing up for school. whichrk again helps attendance which by the way is something we should be encouraging. i want to again for the last minute talk about took office the department of education was under numerous court orders for failure to obey the law. the prior administration had denied 98% of the application for loan discharge of the public service loan program which was created for a bipartisan vote in the house in 2007. i was there.

remember george bush, president bush signed into law. going back into the recovery mode in terms of these programs. can you talk about ps lf in terms of the progress you've made? >> thank you for that question. just broadly speaking public servicee loan forgiveness progrm was one of them broke and it was not implemented the way you intended ityo in a bipartisan fashion. 7000 people got it in the last administration. 98% it out rate. in three years we have provided 875 borrowers. these are teachers, nurses, veterans with almost $62 billion in debt relief. i'll bring attention to a teacher i spoke to a new yorker took out a loan for 30,000 dollars but ended up having to interest. because of she received debt relief and now she's able to buy a home. these are the stories happening the public service loan forgiveness for. >> because you were banging the

law yield back very. >> thank you. >> mr. wilson you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you madame chairman. mr. secretary, my wife is a teacher i've such a high regard for the education profession parade that is why i wanted to be local. i believe the local elected school boards. i did not favor the creation of the department of education for it every effort is evolution back to the states. we have a great superintendent in my home state of south carolina. every way to send it back to elected school boards is what should be done for every school district is different. everett community is different within the school districts. so the federal government cannot possibly understand or address the issues properly. but that in mind another issue you have just referenced section 117 of the higher education act requires institutions of higher education to receive federal financial assistance, to disclose semiannually the u.s. department of education any

gifts received in any contracts with a source that combine $250,000 or more in a calendar year. your administration has decided to remove the section 170 enforcement to the federal student office of federal aid which has already overworked. what is the status of these reports? this is really critical. we have dictatorships today whether it be at war criminal putin, at the chinese communist party, we know the regime in tehran, all are trying this information destroy our country. what is being done to try to stop any disinformation question. >> told teachers across the country section 117 is a section. we take the responsibility of

communicative gifts very seriously reported close to 39004 gifts worth $21 billion already paid we believe the transparency is critical. having it move under fsa allows us to do that more succinctly. as you know we are a member of the fbi national counterintelligence task force we communicate regularly to ensure the law enforcement arms investigation arms are informative that system is working well and i agree with you ready to protect our schools from foreign influence. >> you do not have to do this right now. my question i would like for the record if you could get back with me as to what is the status of maintaining the quarterly reports?ha this is just critically important. it is so sad. yale, stanford and harvard in particular and countless examples of raging anti-semitism on the campus. these schools have section 117

investigations under the trump administration. title vi of the civil rights act investigations into the schools in the last few months. we again see dictatorships trying to impact to the american people as they are trying to promote their totalitarian world.tarian view of the we just have got to be prepared are you coordinating open 117 investigations with the open titleta thank you for the question.be over 100 new cases we have that we have investigators to move on these cases. we take into account, depending on the investigation requests. we take into account many different factors. while not speaking generically

our office for civil rights does take into account different factors when requests come in from investigation. >> i am gratefully concerned for the fbi, commissioner ray director wray has warned an attack is evident here or attacks from the river to the sea that is just a code for murder of the people of israel. we note the hamas covenant provides section seven you chase every jew behind iraq and tree until you find the last jew and that the last jew behind iraq. [inaudible]

[inaudible] and let me restate and make clear is all of god's children should know your section seven of the covenant calls for chasing every jew behind iraq or tree until you find the last jew behind iraq and you kill him. it should be known by all americans. this should not be misunderstood. with that i yield back. >> thank you mr. wilson. your record is for five minutes. >> thank you madame chair. secretary cardona welcome. thank you for your service. we appreciate it. thank you for continuing the bls ff program. the student loan program, appreciate that. you mention in your testimony mr. secretary you mentioned mental health for schools. as you know may is mental health

awareness month which provides a goodon opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of access to mental health services especially for students in school communities. we must erase all stigma on seeking treatment for mental health concerns. i have heard firsthand from parents, teachers, school administrators and students themselves about their concerns for their well-being and i sure this concern with you mr. secretary. one transformational step towards addressing this growing need was the bipartisan savers community act. may i ask you mr. secretary, can you tell me the status of different programs also a stronger connection grant program mental health services grant fundamental health service professional demonstration grants. how do these programs help meet

the mental health needs of today's students? >> thank you for the question. you are absolutely right we don't fight we are in a youth mental health crisis. if we go back to the schools we had in 2019 we are failing our children. we need to do better i am proud the bipartisan safer communities act provided an education to billion dollars for mental health support for professional development for staff.am for a stronger connection dollars to help ensure school safety plans are appropriate and up-to-date those dollars have made a significant difference. we have seen 40% increase during that time of school social worker availability. we have seen close to 30% more school nurses available to our students in our schools. >> it is sad to hear we have normalized schools not having school nurses and we have to do better our current budget asks

for $40 million. that's helped support for k-12 schools knowing students are six times more likely to access mental health support of their provided in our schools we are proud of that work we ask you to support that budget. >> thank you, thank you very much.in mr. secretary, a small item that looms large in my district, the department implementation of transport simplification act. has regrettably produced uncertainty for students in my district. from the northern islands have numerous obstacles throughout this application cycle. it must have been when their designing engineering. designing the system because you kept the one place in the united states out from the system. my district.

the only place in the united states that could not access fafsa unless they declared themselves as foreign students. foreign schools. your department was notified of this in january. and four months on the issue remains. you have provided a work around. and i note this is unacceptable, even for you, sir, could do to chalmette with the department needs to ensure a smooth application process for the next cycle? what would you do differently? >> thank you very much for that. i can assure you archie will follow up to make sure the students who represent get the best support and make sure they have what they need to fill out. let me tell you, 30 years ago i did not fill out fafsa is an intimidating process and did not what to give it over to my parents to fill out our long process under the system is broken to your sky filled out for my son it was an hour long

process. and i can see why at -- were hovering around 60% completion rate before the simplification. the rolling out the plan has been a challenge. >> it is a one 100% of my district. no student can complete the fafsa application i understand it's one ofe the items of the spending issues i am just asking could i please have your commitment this will be resolved before the next school year? >> absolutely. fix secretary think of a much for your servicer. this will be my last time before you on this kind of hearing but i know you will be back. thank you. >> thank you. mr. thompson you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you madame chair. secretary cardona my questions have learned to earn i am a strong advocate for career and technical education i've cochaired bipartisan caucus for

over a decade but i am immensely proud of the ct programs throughout the country but especially those of my district like secondary ct programs they mirrors of school district. are the privilege of visiting a few weeks ago. mr. secretary you aware while the overall high school graduation rate around the country's 87%, secondary cte programs graduate at least 96% ekof the students according to e president's budget justification for fiscal year 2025. >> yes. >> then are you aware post secondary programs on average have higher96 completion and placement rates the non- ct post secondary programs? >> as you note ct programs help students gain a credentials in demand sectors throughout the economy be for example the most recent program year there were nearly 1.8 million post secondary ct concentrators. over quarter were enrolled in ct programs within the health science cluster.

we are all keenly aware of the shortage of healthcare workers throughout the country. dose you agree ct programs particular in the wake of the pandemic have allied with local labor markets, responded to employers, and met local demands? >> yes. >> mr. secretary know you have visited a number of programs and your time is secretary. that's much appreciated. given all of this information those visits and the record these programs do you agree the expansion and improvement of ct programs through has been a major success? >> i believe the evolution of a perkins to include cte is where we need to go. and it has been successful to get states to look at it differently. >> when congress passed perkins a fight with unanimous support both chambers we included language stipulated that department of education may only issue regulation to the extent

quotes to the extent necessary to administer and assure compliance with specific requirements" of the law. it has been successfully implemented now for six years. my colleagues on both sides of the aisle have a recognized recognizesuccessful implementatd impact of these programs on students in. but, with this in mind what exactly is your department planning to regulate regarding perkins five? quite as this administration to site it is critical to do so at this particular time? despite the law have been implemented successfully for sit years and states currently new four year plans this month. earning while you learn is not only good for students to stay engaged, but better pedagogy. students learn better i visited across the country programs that hearing from students directly they've got them anil opportuniy

to be successful. i am totally in agreement with you this one of the areas where a lot of common ground. as an educator former school principal, district leader commissioner of education i think the perkins is underutilized i think we need to do a better job making that the rule not the exception that we provide pathways for students. i look forward to working with you on how we can do that because i know we have common ground or we can move the needle on this and make sure all schools take advantage of it. >> i appreciate that wholeheartedly. your department has perkins regulations on a regulatory agenda with notice of proposed rulemaking scheduled to bepa issueded in august of this year. can you explain what aspect of the lot your department is suddenly not able to administer after six years of successful enactment and having never issued regulations on perkins prior? >> thank you so again this process of making sure the perkins grant is being utilized with the intention was an

openingg access to earn to learn programs and apprenticeships is more readily available as a way collaboratively what to do across the country. we believe we have an opportunity here to make sure the perkins grant does that. unfortunately in many districts is relegated to very small programming and does not really touch the mainstream programming ever high schools. the goal is to get what you and i both agree is necessary for a country which is more access to career and technical education programs. >> will soon be time for reauthorization i certainly encourage any thoughts that the department may have on aspects of the law that could be updated rkbased on the six years of implementation feedback from ct programs as it seems you all do would provide recommendations to the committee on the legislative process. >> thank you. >> so thank you. >> you are recognized for five

minutes for. >> thank you thank youck secrety cardona i went to join my cte caucus cochair and thankid you r making career and technical education a priority. also support some of the budget priorities you propose including title i, ida, behavioral health, bilingual education, preserving title for a funding. you even have a demonstration program to incentivize high quality public preschools that's very much appreciate that. what to say thank you to the department for the work that you have done updating the title ix rule. the updated rules going to better protect and empower students and employees who are victimized by discrimination including lgbtq individuals who have been often excluded from protection of the passive thank you for that work. i also appreciate the permits work to support borrowers as student loan repayments resumed following the covid pause. as of january at the share borrowers making payments officially turned to the same repayment level generated 2020.

prior to the pandemic however i also remain concerned about vulnerable borrowers who may be at risk of default or delinquency. by rent reintroduce my simple act streamlining income driven at manageable payment on loans for education to automatically enroll struggling borrowers and income driven borrowers and income driven repayment plans. mr. secretary could you please talk about what steps he department is taking to help borrowers as they restart payments including communicating with borrowers about the repayment options? and also connected with that we have heard allegations loan forgiveness is essentially a free ride for students. we you please talk about in general numbers what percentage of borrowers who qualify for loan forgiveness have actually been making payments on the loan? >> thank you for that question. i want to preface by saying we have a broken higher education system. everything we have done from day one intended to make higher education more affordable more

accessible. from providing debt relief that was passed in a bipartisan fashionn here to going after institutions that are taken advantage of first generation students. we introduce the safe plan which is an affordable income driven repayment plan that capsti interest often times it is the interest thatwe makes people go into default. we must remember with over 1 million people going into default everyfo year. and we are fixing that. even as frustrating and challenging as it has been the delays and i polish the students and families and fed the deal delays. i know howe frustrating that is for this is all intended to fix a system that for too long as cap people out. with regard to repayment, we had the fresh start program allows folks to get back on without hurting their credit.

we have teachers i mentioned teachers are starting salary at $38000 a year. having to pay $700 a month on their old loan plans they sign up for save it's going to be more affordable for that would more successful in paying their load specifically with regard to your question i love to have my team to getd back to you on th. i can say right now the folks and i don't call the schema called a lifeline for millions of americans are trying to get back on their feet. we are proud not only are we helping them get back on their feet were open the door to higher education pretty somebody students who right now because somebody tried to getto in anotr class or absolutely write the people i've spoken with have had the balance forgiven actually owed more than they borrowed originally. so on fafsa, we appreciate your apology but it haser been really struggling. families have been struggling. we note the number of high school seniors who have completed the form is down

significantly. particularly with communities of students from low-income high schools but what is theia department doing? how are you informing students and families about the process? do you have any strategies to quickly increase fafsa completion especially when they lack access to counselors. >> thank you for the question which give a quick quick update overnight million process nine s applications. student apply sedan student that go we are encouraging students to fill it out you applied today by friday of the colleges will have the information. two thirds of the colleges have communicated with us letters and going out already. so thete system, while the ladys working. we have a strategy asu nationwie strategy to get students to fill it out. school principals, ymca, boys and girls club, chubb all hands on deck approach. we have just moved $50 million help accelerate that process to make sure we are giving students and family the support that they need. >> are you seeing the applications increase with that?

>> absolutely, absolutely >>ve pleas give up that work is really important for thank you medicare i healed back too. >> thank you, mr. wahlberg your wreck and i survived minutes pickwick cindy manning chairwoman. thank you secretary for being here. the title of this hearing is examining the policies and. priorities of the department of education and i have to say i am deeply concerned about how the department is choosing to prioritize its efforts. the department has since 2020 two prepare the new fafsa rollout get the political leadership shows to spend time canceling student debt. rewriting title ix i would say to the detriment and endangerment of female athletes and femaless in general. making it harder for proprietary schools to exist. schools that are preparing individuals for real world jobs with tremendous success. and now we are witnessing an

explosion of anti-semitic incidents on college campuses and i am concerned the department is not living up to its obligation of upholding title vi of the civil rights act. and so secretary cardona, as of this morning the department of education website listed one or 45 open investigations. based on shared ancestry under title vi of the civil rights act. on average, let me ask this question. onon average, how long to take e office of civil rights to attend title vi ancestry investigations? on average? >> thank you. the anti-semitism at shared answers have increased we have had over 100 since the attacks on october 7. so the anti-semitism and shared ancestry cases have in greece. we've had over 100 since the attacks on october 7th. >> hundred 55 as this morning.

>> but just since october 7th, on average, is hard given average because every case is different but roughly 6 to 8 months. >> currently, how many investigators does the department of education have on how many investigators you have on columbia's campus on ucla, georgege washington's campus. >> i cannot speak on open cases. but i can tell you is we are taking them very seriously. we condemn anti-semitism and any forms of hate and we are moving as quickly as we can. the budget proposal would help us move along. >> let me go this direction been. how many investigations has the department closed and how many of those investigations have

resulted in resolutions and policy changes? we can't comment on the investigations open but how many were closed? >> there have been two cases that have been closed around anti-semitism. >> two cases? >> correct. and we are vigorously attending to the cases now. as you know and when congress passed this regulation, we have to make sure we are negotiating with of the cities on compliance and how they are going to address the issue. >> as i understand it the office of civil rights processing manual indicates the office of civil rights has the authority to launch its own investigations. you can launchti that with youro own decision making process. you don't have to wait for specific complaints. have you launched any proactive investigations into anti-semitism? >> as recently asla this morning we provided guidance to all colleges not just the ones where we might have issues, so yet

friday i sent communications over 5,000 university leaders. this morning we have a letter -- >> so you haven't launched any investigations? >> we have as i said earlier 145 open cases which are woefully understaffed to handle the existing cases and i'm asking for a budget increase so we can continue to get to those cases. >> will you commit to launching compliance reviews of campuses in the next 30 days? >> we have a process providing information to campuses. we've done more in the last six seven months than the previous administration. >> it'sth not working. the last two weeks, i appreciate the fact the university of michigan did not negotiate and ended up going along with the commencement speaking parochial jewish students are still in fear of their lives and economic success on that campus and many

other campuses and the opportunity that you have to launch these reviews you have solely it doesn't take congress or anyone else. i certainly hope you will make this a priority because it is for the future and present of students and universities and colleges under your supervision. i yield back. >> you are recognized for five minutes. >> i have a question for my colleague. you are concerned for the office of civil rights and it's well taken. would you support a supplemental appropriation authorization to fund the office of civil rights? >> yes or no. >> we havean a secretary -- >> this committee has on the majority society continually tried to lower and decrease the funding for the office of civil rights and mr. secretary, you y could do more if you had more

money is that right? >> yes. >> thank you. mr. secretary, welcome. can you describe the newly finalized rule, what it doesn't require the department felt it was important to create it? >> thank you for that question.i for us it was important to make sure we were being explicit about protecting students. it's about keeping them safe in school, to promote accountability and fairness and empowers students and families and requires them to respond promptly. it doesn't require multiple incidents to respond. >> thank you. this rule represents the most comprehensive expansion of power since its original passage. significantly and bolsters the protections and strengthens the tenant that all students are entitled to participate in educational programs and activities free from all sex discrimination. a lack of explicit protections

have long excluded many women from the full freedom to pursue a quality education. so mr. sec., how will this rule impact students? >> thank you. you mentioned pregnant students. historically, there've been casesand where students who were pregnant were encouraged to leave school or accommodations not to be made. this protects them. in the past, we've had to students who've been afraid to come forward after experiencing sexual violence because the process put them out there in a way that they were vulnerable to more attacks. so, what we've done is make the provisions safer for students to comeoc forward and protect those that have been marginalized including lgbtq i students. >> what this better protect female students across the board? since several states filed suit

joining the rule from going into effect at least one state governor suggested his state would simply not follow the rule. republicans claim of the rules interpretation of sex discrimination infringes on women's rights. is that true?th >> no, that is not true. protect us more students. >> how would such disregard the program of such a state in jeopardy? >> federal rules trump state rules and it's unacceptable for leaders to pick and choose which students they choose to protect. >> so it's unacceptable to say we are only going to protect some students but not all. and you take your role as the secretary of education very seriously and make sure all students have the right to pursue an education? what tools of implementation is the department offering to the schools to understand the parameters of the rule to ensure they are complying successfully?

>> we developed plug and play material more so with this than any other rule because we want to support schools and the implementation. >> currently students face victimization at schools including bullying, harassment and assault. how would this impact lgbtq students? >> it provides protection to have access that programming all other students have and prevent schools from discriminating from them. >> could this result in higher rates of absenteeism? and as youen may be aware last friday the university of california riverside, which i represent, became the first school in the university to reach a peaceful resolution with student protesters. students set up an encampment monday, april 29 following negotiations between college administrations and the leadership of the protest and

the encampment was dissolved peacefully by friday that week without a single arrest. the chancellor announced the terms of the agreement in a letter to the community along with a list of frequently asked questions about the terms. i'm thrilled that they are leading by example and peacefull resolution. sec., is there anything we might be able to take away from this example? >> yes. it's critically important to college leaders to engage in communication and model by discussing with students how to get to a peaceful resolution. a safety onde campus to make sue students are able to go to class without fear. >> my time is about up. i yield. back. >> you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you. one of my colleagues had a

question on public service loan forgiveness and you thought the program was broken because it wasn't being implemented the way you and congress intended. by the same logic we would admit that you broke in the air free fashion. >> we had significant delays to implement down 29% from the storm last year which is significant. has the department owned up to mistakes to take responsibility should any employee at the department of education, political or otherwise, lose their jobs over the role? >> let me clarify the difference is about 15%. we have reduced the number from 30% to 15%, given the nationwide strategy that we are using so we

are seeing over 9 million students apply. the information is being processed and students are receiving letters i just wanted to give you an update on that. >> okay. if anything, were you chastised by anybody, whether any consequences? >> thank you for that question. we take this very seriously and it is concerning that there were delays and yes,, there will be opportunities for not only accountability about restructuring to make sure that this doesn't happen again. as a parent of a high school senior, student in college i know how important this is for our families and we are committed to getting it right and with access to higher education for students across the country. >> wisconsin has an impressive college system and more and more people are going there all the time. as opposed to the traditional university, these colleges offer summer classes and popular among

the students however, do they in the department interested in summer courses this year unable to access a timely financial aid? during conversations withar my local schools in my district revealed a lack of guidance from the department of education on how to proceed and advise students. can you offer immediate guidance to these institutions? >> i am committed to working with you and those institutions to get the information and if necessary to ensure we are funding the clinics for the students and that committee. one thing i want to share is wisconsin there was a 61% completion rate prior to this implementation. together i know we are going to do better than that. more students deserve an opportunity to access and achieve their goals to higher education. >> okay. one of the major goals has been

some of the student loan forgiveness and probably when i get back in my district is one of the major topics. the topic isce brought up by people who paid their student loans after the loan is paid off in four or five years working extra hard all of a sudden they find out that president biden is looking for forgiveness on his own. what would you like me to say to constituents who've gone through asu hardship for spend less mony other junk and paid off their student loans that way? i'm one of those people that paid off my loans and i'm recognizing now ass a secretary over a million people go into

default. what i would say to those folks is we are fixing a broken system that will allow more access, better return on investment for higher education. so we are fixing broken policies -- this isn't something that will need to happen every five years. we are addressing it in different ways. >> what i'm saying, in the past broken or not, there are people that have paid off their loans, maybe even pay them off prematurely because they didn't, maybe they worked extra hard and gave up other things they pay them offff early and now they fl like suckers for being responsible. how would you respond to that individual person if i ran into a guy or parent of somebody that says my son worked two jobs and peeled off his loan. whyy in the world are these othr people getting beat up for nothing? >> it's important to recognize where we are right now. aa similar case could be made fr those that receive loans and to god for the businesses.

right now the higher education loan the system is broken. we've introduced the safe plan and quite frankly, people going into default in their community it doesn't help the local economy. for the teacher that i spoke to that issm now able to buy a hom, that is helping the community and if you look at the programs it is public service people defrauded by their colleges. so, we are taking the interestth off of loans that have gone on for over 20 years. >> that doesn't really answer my question, but thanks. >> thank you. doctor adams, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you madam chair and secretary, thank you for your leadership and for being here. i appreciate your visit to the district and would love to have you come back. i would just reintroduce the bill, i guess we are reigniting

it, which attempts to -- in the middle of the budget proposal we requested an increase in other underserved communities. these institutions of course played a vital role in educating especially as higher education grapples with diversity, equity and inclusion. can you speak briefly about the work the department is undertaken to ensure sufficient funds are made available for institutions that have title iii or titleth iv designations under the higher education act? >> thank you for the question, and i enjoyed visiting your district and i have to tell you the hbcus whether they are jackson state, you know, i speak of the excellence that i see tthere the entrepreneurship and the sense of punching above your

weight. but i can tell you that i've also heard the infrastructure is not adequate. decades of investment put us behind and we need more. so i'm proud that the president and the budget has not only an additional institutional capacity request of 93 million overe fy 23 but also $100 milln to expand research and development. they need the labs to be able to compete for the contracts. we recognize because we were close the additional needed they have and how they are working to make it happen so this does reflect the conversations and at the work that we have seen. >> i just returned to visit langston university. since january, roughly one institution per week on average announced its closure in the following closures many students

struggle tola continue their higher education journey and fewer than half of students at colleges that have closed transferred to other institutions and fewer than half end up receiving their degrees. i had a situation in my district when i first came to congress onpretty much, but how has the department enhanced its oversight ofof institutions wita risk of closure since the start of the biden administration and can you share more about the efforts to improve the discharge process to support the borrowers whose institutions are closed? >> thank you for that. we've done a lot. we've seen students who were left out in the cold and no earning potential to pay off the debt so we are aware that this is a challenge to be holding .holding them accountable where that is possible and tightening

up our oversight for those that have taken advantage. one last thing that i think is appropriate we are also working very closely and i remember having conversations with leaders to make sure the credits transfer and we've helped those unstudents land well in another institution. >> okay, great. the federal pell grant program is thehe cornerstone of the student aid unit has expanded access to millions of low-income students since its inception so can you share a little bit more about the economic significance of the pell grant program? >> absolutely. for many students, it is that opportunity for the higher a education. we know college graduates on average make a million dollars over the course of their career more than high school students, so we recognize the importance. the president has been pushing for an increase, doubling and 900-dollar increase has already been pushed for.

we recognize it's up to like $7,400 per student per year. that'sll a significant and we wl continue to push for that and to simplify the process and make sure it works for the students so they can have access as well. >> in terms of the programmatic cuts into the harm into the future pell grant recipients, can you speak briefly about that? >> can you repeat the last part? >> the cuts, the programmatic cuts that harm the current programs. >> thegrt implementation took e this last year with flat funding last year so we are requesting the additional funds to deliver for the american people. >> thank you very much. and madam chair, i will yield backnd my time. >> thank you, mr. chairman.

and mr. secretary, i have five minutes so we havepe to get through this really quick. you are continuing to hear a lot of frustration at the department that education has neglected for a partisan political agenda. i've heard from constituents let down by been the ability to meet deadlines and have not had all hands on deck and instead march forward. these past few months using time and resources that propose another set out i regulations, parents, universities, agents, school boards, teachers are not happy. costs are escalating as experienced by the behavior. today we are a deeply divided country. and i know debt is a problem.

how do you explain to young people that they owe $100,000 the day that they are born in this country? $100,000 the day they are born. what shot have they got? did you believe it was in the immediate best interest of students and families to assign department staff to the negotiated rule priorities since january? >> the negotiated rulemaking we doim believe -- the fixing of a broken system, sir. >> this has opened the door to post secondary education for all types of students including helping adults connect to credentiala programs in demand fields such as cyber security and the technology careers in the economy and security depends on. this allows students to have access to distance education that is a flexible option for working students. >> they do recognize that

institution. >> do you believe colleges of all slides should be able to provide programs that meet the standards to thehe workforce? >> do you believe colleges of all sizes should be able to provide business education programs that meet the needs of the students and the workforce? >> if they can do it in a high-quality way more than 500 students in a distance educatin program for being authorized by the state for its reciprocity agreement? >> so, we recognize the importance of giving students an opportunity to have online learning and even with institutions that are not in their state but we want to make sure what we are doing is protecting students also and if a school closes where there is a challenge and the programming that they would be protected. >> and with all due respect, let me tell you what this proposal

would do. if georgia tech offers one of the lowest masters degree programs in the country, prestigious university in my state, less than 10,000 for cybersecurity, computer science and data analytics, georgia leads the nation in the cyber talent and research with ten of our colleges and universities focused on cyber.pr the u.s. army cyber command is headquartered in my district and inan professional degrees that prepared the cyber workforce that shouldn't be stopped by arbitrary regulations that would only stifle cost-effective education. why is 500 the magic number? where did you get the number and do you believe that distance for education programs of 501 students are somehow not worthy of an innovative approval process and they must jump through more burdensome hoops to be offered? >> i agree with you georgia has some amazing institutions and i want to make sure that i work with you to identify the

concerns and make sure that they have the opportunities. here we are today it would increase by ten to 15 million over the next decade because colleges will raise tuition rates and since they know taxpayers will forgive loans as of the student loan agenda so i need a clear answer for the record today. are you committed to making hard-working georgians with no student loan debt to pay for the student loans or terrorists supporting the university students who have over 100,000 in debt? we can get further if we work together to make sure that the students in the district can benefit. >> college campuses have been throwing the chaos and they are waking up as a result of the radical progressive agenda and americans don't like it.

this includes radical debt cancellation, and i yield back. >> i will now recognize chair paul. >> welcome, secretary. and thank you for your dedication to the students throughout your life and here in this position. since taking office, the biden administration has worked to erase the burden of student debt. this includes canceling debt for 876,000 people including teachers and firefighters through the public service loan forgiveness program. it includes canceling debt for almost a million people through improving income driven repayment and 1.6 million for defrauded students. just last week students who were scammed by the now defunct art institute of seattle who i met with in my district finally

solved relief after more than a decade while the previous administration made the process so unworkable that congress rebuked it on a bipartisan basis. together these steps canceled $160 billion for 4.6 million borrowers, and my understanding is that another 20 to 25 million will be eligible throughgh programs that you recently announced. this is financial breathing room for students and families were just trying to get a higher education and improve their skills so they could contribute to the communities and economy in the country. all borrowers turned to loans as a step towards economic prosperity but a student debt makes it impossible for so many and i think it is important that we remember more than 80% of borrowers report that it holds them back from being able to become homeowners, something you were talking about in a previous answer. 56% have to choose between repaying and affording rent and groceries.

what type of borrowers willey benefit the most and how will this improve their financial well-being? >> thank you for that. the borrowers that would benefit the most are those that have runaway interests, and i mentioned a teacher that had a $30,000 just in interest. that prevented her from being able to even attackd the principal of the loan so that is one. i mentioned public servants. you talked about teachers and firefighters. jumping through hoops to apply for that textbooks have been a strain on student finances some

institutions actually automatically bill students for their books what is your department doing to prevent students from spending more than needed on their books or other hidden fees that are preventing students from accessing the kind of support they need for a quality education? >> thank you for that question. this is a negotiated rulemaking so i can't comment on specifically where we think we are going to end up but we are taking a very close look at what students are paying for. i will have to in college next year and i recognize what they add up to and we want to make sure the students information is transparent and they are getting what they are paying for. it's not something that is

assumed that they are going to need. >> i want to discuss federal k-12 education for students experiencing homelessness. ther 2023 guidance for the funding has been an incredible lifeline for those families. for example, it helps schools provide gas cards and cover car repairs in an emergency to increase attendance and i know that these funds are expiring soon. what support does the department have in place for families experiencing homelessness including for after the fungus expire. >> you identified an issue that is increasing andsu making sure that the students are protected and are able to learn in the conditions for learning. we are requesting a 129 million-dollar budget request for fy 25. programs like preschool programs, supplemental instructions for students that fall behind because of the trauma being housing insecure, before and afterschool programs, transportation is a school

principal, let me tell you that was the most expensive thing making sure they don't have to bounce from five or six different schools i appreciate you being here today. i did wonder if you might show up given that you seem to have little respect for our congressional inquiries into te goings on at the department of education. i recently sent you a letter about the 24, 25 rollout much

like pigeons and college students across the country and as of today we've not received a shresponse on what you're doingo remedy the problems you created for millions of american families. so today with my time i would like to ask a few of these questions now. i'm a parent to a college student in high school senior and would like to understand what contributed to the delayed and ineffective rollout of the 24, 25 fafsa. >> i take serious communicating information is important to us. read we've had many delays that we have been able to fix. it's working now and i encourage students that are listening to sign up.

>> what would you say contributed to the delay end of the ineffective rollout, what were thet contributing factors? >> there were some programmatic issues that required our engineers to reprogram the codes. >> and how much time were you given from the time the bill passed to the time that you were supposeded to rollout? how much time were you given between the time the bill passed to the rollout? >> it was passed in the last administration. >> do you know how many years that was? what is the department doing now to support those that have been able to submit and have been given incorrect information or haven't received their estimates what are you doing for those students? >> that is something we take very seriously and we are working to provide resources for families. >> what kind of resources? >> we have $50 million now going

to we have the school districts andli we are working closely wih districts. i have to say we've also worked on the return to repayment. theal servicing contracts and wt we are doing now to make sure that we improve processing to make sure that our department is designed for the work that's being expected of us, so we are asking for the budget -- >> given that you had a three threeyears to get this right the first time, why should we expect that this upcoming hadwin would be ready and i know the committee recently said the expectation was that it would be ready. why should we believe that? >> i would be happy to share what we are doing on a day-to-day basis, but we are taking it very seriously. we know how important it is to our families and schools. they've been extra patient and

working very closely with us to deal with the updates and i'm happy to say that two thirds or more are already processing. we are committed to making it a better every year in opening doors to higher education. sixty to 70% on average are applying. that's not acceptable. we need to be closer to the 95% range and that is what we are going to work towards and make sure that it opens doors to higher education. >> the frustration i experienced certainly would deter people from participating this year. the soft launch is a generous term. it was clear that there was a release to barely meet the letter of the law by all measures and it was a disastrous failure. what letter grade would you give yourself one the rollout? >> committed to improving it. >> what grade would you give yourself? >> i'm not in the classroom now >> you are the head of the department of education. >> we are committed to making

sure -- >> you're not going to answer the grade level. i think millions of american families would do the same. were you given a directive by laww to be allowed student loan, yes or no?wh were you given a congressional directive to simplify fafsa? you spent a great deal of department hours i understand on the student loan bailout but apparently notot very many department hours for simplifying that you have three years. your answers are about as unhelpful as the rollout seeing how it is not enough to have this conversation i hope you will consider responding to my letter. thank you and i will yield back. >> we now recognize. >> thank you mr. chairman. mr. secretary, i would grade you differently. i think you've done a good job under very difficult circumstances. and i want to follow up on the

questions asked about the areas of mental health and cognitive developments specifically. we know from cdc and the surgeon general almost a third of adolescent girls in this country have seriously considered suicide or attempted suicide in the last year. we know from hhs young people in 2003, about 5% identified with serious issues about anxiety and in 2023, that number went to 30%.%. we know from work with i think i mentioned this last time you were here, susan leonard or anna lemke at stanford, their work on cognitive development and social media and to adolescent

neuroscience and the urgency of fixing this you see it as a continuing of care i've been atr 70 schools in the ten years that i've been in congress and it always comes up in conversations with students, administrators and teachers. theyey need more behavioral health. theyng feel like they are overwhelmed, and use all this i' your career in connecticut. i dealt with superintendents and public construction that were both constituents. this is a real epidemic and the cost is very serious. let me tell you what we are doing and how we can make sure that we are doing this they in a way for future generations.

>> thank you for the question and i bring it back to my openingin statement. we have a lot of commonid ground here. the act provided to billion dollars to increase the number of social workers just 40% more through social workers and i'm proud that there are 30% more nurses and proactive strategies to help students address anxiety or mental health needs. we know students are six times more likely to access mental health supports if they are provided in the school. in the budget be asked for $200 million for the community schools because we know they work to support mental health. but you mentioned what we can do together. medicaid reimbursement for students who do not have an iep, we supply the process so all states that have sustainable dollars we know that there will be a sunset so we want to make

sure they are sustainable and we are working in a bipartisan fashion so states and governors know what to do. that is sustainable for mental health. we cannot go back to the system we had in 2019 of emergency room models of mental health support. >> related about how you work with other departments plan i am old enough to remember that the biggest obstacle to people getting on their feet and getting a job usually single women of color and what you talked about in transportation and childcare so what are we doing with the different departments to coordinate those efforts? twenty years later we still had the same identified problem. it's become worse where i live in the bay area because the transportation and childcare intersect with behavioral health by the way, but this community to be able to get a job and be independent, which is nonpartisan,li hopefully notch partisan, is still a challenge

and departments working across with each other working together with state agencies and local agencies. >> we have a whole of government approach. i mentioned the medicaid reimbursement we are working with health and human services to make sure we are simplifying the process and in an interagency fashion. the budget proposal you will see an increase in early childhood education. we are working to make sure that they support the same families. >> i would love to follow-up with you and be able to show where our successes and failures have come about so we can continue to measure those in a thoughtfulul way and deal with those epidemics people are facing.

thank you and i yield back. >> i would like to recognize myself.t mr. secretary, you are going through great lengths to argue that the rule will not have an impact on athletics. thousands of decisions venting it and 75 noted over the rule description. i have several questions let's hope i get some yes and no. with energy and bone rule changes in this effort can you assure us they do not change protection the girls have had for over 50 years, can you assure us that protecting from competing against genetically stronger, bigger and faster biological men will not be considered a federal accommodation. >> thank you for the question. you are referring to athletics in my right? that rulemaking process is

underway. is it a possibility that it would be considered discrimination? >> i am here to discuss what we are doing an education to help children. >> it is yes or no. it's a bridge that we all know that you're trying to get across. is this something that you are looking at doing right now? >> i don't want to comment on the proposed rule that we haven't finalized yet. youu were in the position to impact the lives of female athletes. both sides of the debate we need toat know how the digital commitment is. would you force your daughter to address with boys that are also undressing? >> i will not be commenting -- >> okay you cannot say yes or no on that?

>> if your daughter felt uncomfortable in a boys presence in a bathroom or locker room, without be considered by your administration determination? >> asen an educator -- >> you can't say yes or no? >> i would love to respond. >> girls have entered contact sports would you allow your daughter to physically fight and get a beat up by a boy that called himself a girl, yes or no? >> once we finalize the regulations on the athletics. >> let me say this real quick. a problem says a man's highest calling is to protect women so she is free to walk the earth

unharmed. i will say this before i go on to the next topic. with all due respect, i pray that our country will never have a vision that your policies are now driving us towards. a vision that teaches harming girls is no big deal, i pray we remain a country that produces overwhelmingly majority of men who feel the way that i do about my girls. i would give my life in a heartbeat for my girls and the blessings i have they have no doubt about that. millions of men and women across the country do not have faith and trust and you protect because of policies you can't say yessi or no to. it's either yes or no and you could not answer that. at the senate appropriations committee last week you stated there is an active investigation at the university with your

staff is not on site. as protest and harassment continue at the university, this is anch opportunity for the offe of civil rights to see firsthand how columbia is failing to protect the rights of its students. the un replied earlier that you were running funds. i have a hard time believing the department of education is broke i think it is more of a priority. is there a reason why this has not been happening or couldn't have a presence and if it had been black americans that dealt with bigots, would you have the same sense of presence or priorities? >> thank you for the question. let me tell you i am a father. you cannot pick and choose which students you want to protect. woyou cannot choose which studes you want to protect. as the secretary of education --

>> -- >> we protect all of them, right? >> including lgbtq students. >> iner other words you are choosing those students who were women, i'm talking boys versus girls. it's a very simple question. >> the new title ix regulation increases protections to all students and increased protections for women. >> this is why parents are e concerned about this administration. they cannot answer a basic question with common sense. i will say this. i know how to protect my girls. i will leave it at that. i will recognize macbeth. >> secretary, it is good to see you again today. thank you for being before us, and i have read your testimony. is there anything else that you would like to expand upon before we get started?

it looks like there might have been something else you wanted to say. >> time fell short, but i wanted to comment that in 2009 we had 68 more investigators for title vi and we had a third of the cases. we are desperately in need of additional support to make sure atwe can investigate the cases e have in front of us so i welcomh support of the budget on both sides of the aisle. >> thank you so much. thank you for being with us today. for the last few decades, we have been focusing on our efforts getting students into college making sure they get educated but not enough that they actually finish getting those degrees or those credentials and actually achieving the goals that they set out to accomplish for themselves to set themselves and their families up for future success. not just with a job, but a lifelong career and career path. millions of americans owe tens of thousands of dollars in

student loan debt and have no degrees were credentials to show. icit's obvious that this is nota result of user error on behalf of the american people. it's a result of the country's failure to actually provide the targeted resources and foster the climate that is needed to ensure that every student can get the skills that would help them to achieve greater levels of success than was possible before they walked on campus for the very first time or for the first time they logged into a classroom computer. we know that there are many paths to success when it comes to education and developing a strong and successful workforce. each is deeply personal and i'm proud three legislative initiatives that i lead in this very committee recently passed the house and echo the mission of meeting the needs of the students wherever they are. my colleague's claim the american people are fiscally

irresponsible, but those are not the georgians that i know and i live alongside every day and that i represent here in congress. the reality for most americans is that the only way for them to be able to afford a school is to take out a student loan. usually at a very high interest rate. for decades we've been telling people every single day one of the bestto way is to get ahead n life is they've got to have a college degree. and now we are punishing them for trying to partake in the very thing that we encourage them to do, and that is obtaining the skills that are necessary to move the families in the country forward. the georgia state university, one of the leading leaders in student retention and success and my state's largest university received a postsecondary grant, student success grant to study the use of modern technology and they are using ai.

in the first year, freshman year, for the students with math and also literature courses and the potential to improve the student outcome. actually i would like to ask the chair may i please include in the record and article. >> without objection. >> thank you. in 2016 georgia state began thic contact over the summer and successfully helped to cut the number of high school graduates who were accepted but they failed to actually follow through on everything they needed to do to be registered and prepared for the fall session. so, this new technology, this use of technology is helping more students leave out -- live out their dream of attending college because you are actuall able to cut down that number of students that were not registering and being prepared to cut it down to half, and i

think that is pretty amazing. according to the doctor that testified before the committee earlier in this congress, that is an invitation of our cheer. these technologies support students by reminding them about their assignments, answering questions after hours and are generally far more accessible for those that have busier schedules. some students are parents, some are caretakers for family members. so programs like this that puts students first we can prevent the students from this and getting the credentials that they deserve and need and they are working towards. my question, the potential to become a career grant program to improve retention and completion

rate. however, we know that this program is kind of flat funded. could you please explain how the departments budget request of 100 million will provide students with the necessary means of support that they need to reduce these barriers to their success? >> i have to say you began your question with two seconds left and you are 40 seconds over, so i'm going to ask the secretary to submit an answer to you in writing. thank you. mr. good, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you madam chair and a secretary for being with us today. do you think it is a responsibility to pay their own student loans? do you think it is a person's responsibility to pay their own student loans? >> i do believe students who take out loans should pay the loans. >> they should pay them back. what if it is hard or difficult

to pay it? >> many of the loans that we are providing relief for or loans that folks are eligible for. >> we have long had relief in place that allowed folks in different situations or reduced income. what if somebody didn't want to pay their student loan or they wish they didn't have a student loan? >> they should still pay for it. >> that's what i'm lookingco fon now do you understand how federal spending is paid? how is that paid for? >> the work that we are doing -- >> i'm asking do you understand how federal spending is ultimately paid for? i would like to know>> if you kw how federal spending is paid for. >> i'm here to answer questions. >> who pays for federal spending? >> whether it's higher taxes or lower purchasing power for

higher interest rates that have diminished purchasing power as they suffer under inflation as a result of federal spending i appreciate you confirming that. he is student loan debt legitimate? or is it illegitimate somehow and it's not -- >> when i talk to students that have been defrauded. >> is student loan debt legitimate? i would presume you would say a mortgage loan is legitimate, a car loan, personal loan or credit card, you would presume those are legitimate. >> i would love to communicate how we are helping the situation. >> when someone invests in themselves is that legitimate or illegitimate and should it be paid for by the person who borrows it? is there something illegitimate about student loan debt? >> the work we are doing to provide -- >> you are not going to say so you agree that it's not illegitimate. do you think we should continue to make student loans when you

add to the administration are trying to transfer all the debt to the taxpayers with of the latest game that will cost $750 billion. continue to make urstudent loans if we are not yigoing to ask folks to pay the loans, should we instead classify them as gifts or make student loans? >> the constituents served wouldn't call it a scheme, they would call it a lifeline. >> should we continue to make student loans that we are not going to ask people to pay back or should we go to the taxpayer provided education gifts? >> i understand of the line of questioning and if i can get an answer -- >> should we keep making the student loans if we are not going to ask people to pay them back. >> we are improving the repayment process so people can be successful. >> is there any reason, people who go to the most so-called

elite universities should students that go to those universities which tend to be the lead because they are expensive. my children could not, i couldn't afford to go to a school like that.d it would have been a waste of money. of those who go to the schools and make up to 125,000, 250,000 as a family based on the previous original transfer scheme, should others who didn't go to college who worked their way through college and tried not to incur student loan debt or paid off their loan debt, should they have to pay student loan debt for those making above average incomes? >> people are paying their loans back. >> so others shouldn't pay their student loan debt for them? >> that's not what i said. people are paying the loans back. the return too the repayment is counderway. i would be happy to have my staff share with you. >> thank you, sir. in february of the department

published a proposal that lists 16 indicators that the secretary and yourself would use to. determine if a borrower is an economic hardship and therefore able to have his or her loan balance paid or transferred to taxpayers however powers can have their debt canceled again transferred to the taxpayer actually based on any other indicators of hardship. is that correct? >> it allows you to decide any reason someone can have their debt canceled? >> it's not as simple as you're asking. if you would allow me to answer, you might get the answer that you're looking for. >> my time is expired, so i will yield back. you are recognized for five minutes.

>> thank you. before i start my questioning, i would like to say mortgage loans are a legitimate debt and i remember in 2009 i was a teacher and i had a contract paying $37,500 a year. i was also a taxpayer and i was not a homeowner. the country decided that we would bailout the mortgage company and as an american i recognized that that was good for our economy and i went to work every day and paid my taxes and we bailed out the mortgage industry and finance industry and auto industry so the idea that we draw the line out to those that just want a chance to get ahead or have a fighting chancee in the society is something i cannot wrap myself around. but thank you mr. secretary for being here and happy national teacher appreciation day.

.. and it is the only shot that so

many of our young people have. but i am deeply concerned by the rise in anti-semitism and islam a phobia on collegegi campuses. like you -- like myself i know you believe there is no place for hate speech or discrimination in education. i also know that as an educator it is beyond pedagogy of students who do not feel safe and protected in their academic environments they will not lurk this is what the department is dealing with right now. as of april 30, 2020 for the office of civil rights of the department of education which oversees investigations of discrimination at institutions of higher education has reported many cases of discrimination. past reporting by industry drive has shown a severe backlog in the processing and investigation of discrimination cases by the ocr due to funding challenges over the years.

secretary cardona in your testimony you mentioned the department of education is asking for a $22 million increase in funds for fiscal year 2025 to expand a staffing capacity. additionally this funding will be usedth to address the alarmig reports of rising anti-semitism and islam a phobia. many of my republican colleagues believe the entire department budget including ocr should be flat funded. i think we have to stop admiring the problem and actually invest the resources to address it. so, secretary cardona have flate funding affect the ability to process these claims in a timely manner? what's it would impact tickets and if the over 90% of the budget requests are for investigators. >> you have also said the investigator caseload is at historically high rates. with about 402 cases per investor this would rise to 71 per investigator which you

describe is unmanageable. if funding for the ocr was to be increased, what with the department spend that money on? please be specific for. >> investigators to investigate the opento cases for. >> thank you. we had university presidents here a few weeks ago. one of the things they stated wasn't more guidance from the department would bee helpful as they navigate in the space. what has the ocr done to proactively address claims of anti-semitism and anti- muslim sentiment on campus? >> friday sent the letter out to over 5000 university leaders. myself this morning we release a dear colleague letter with very specific examples if you visit ed.gov there's a button supporting campus safety. there are hundreds of resources there that were made specifically to support universities. >> in closing i would like to add i think it's easier for mcculloch to this committee to

dismiss certain groups of constituencies but as an educator i know, like you know our job is to protect all students on make sure all students have access to an education and we are working just as hard on their behalf as thfor any other group. thank you for being here and again and happy teacher happy tn day. i yield back. >> think it ms. hayes. you are recognized. >> think it madam chair i too agree with my colleagues on free speech but, let peaches share with you what free speech does not protect that it does not protect violence. it does not protect deformation of property it does not protect threats on one's life. so i am for the first amendment but let's be clear we know that the first amendment is. i also want to make sure i understand before i get into my questioning the department of education budgete is

$78.8 billion you are asking 3.7 billion for a total of $82.5 billion. and that's just not enough money to do your job. that is amazing to me. there is no inefficiencies that we can find if we just give you more money, everything will be great. that was my rant so thank you for listening to me on that. mr. secretary, president biden's department of education is canceled 153 billion dollars in student loan. with plans to cancel $1.4 trillion. the house of representatives said no we actually passed legislation on that. the senate said no the fifth circuit court said no the highestt court in the land, the supreme court said no. yet, you continue to march on. i would like to know what makes

you qualified to ignore the majority of congress and the supreme court? >> thank you congresswoman. let me repeat hate has no place in schools i agree with you and is the president said were not going to condone anti-semitism too. >> thank you, we can agree on that. >> for sure. we reckon higher education system is not accessible, affordable and it is broken we are working within the law to provide a debt really. >> the house of representatives said no. the senate said no the supreme court said no that you say it yes, how is that possible? >> higher education act gives me authority. >> that you alone have the authority my correct on that? >> you are higher than the congress, the senate and the supreme court? >> no, that's not what i was thing for. >> okay i didn't think so progress give example bipartisan bill passed in 2007.

poorly implemented for four years only 7000 people benefited from it. 98% of people were denied. >> i appreciate that, my question is really simple. what qualifies you to be higher in the authority than the congress, the senate, and the supreme court? >> i don't believe i am higher than those groups protects your actions would show that. >> i am acting within the right of the law but the higher education act. >> i would strongly disagree. the senate would strongly disagree in the supreme court would strongly disagree. i am confused on rights versus responsibility. if you have a right to a low don't you have a responsibility to pay it back? >> yes. >> thank you for. >> you are in agreement with me if you and i make a deal and i say hey, i want to buy this car

i should pay the car loan back. >> a yes for. >> you have a right to fight by a mortgage that i am responsible. not my neighbor at the person across the street but i am the one who took out the loan. i knew the risks i have a responsibility. why is education and loan forgiveness of different because i should have a house for. >> thank you for that question. we have predatory institutions that are preying onli students. putting them in debt for. >> for a slippery car salesmen that are preying on people to so should we forgive their loans? i am asking a question. we have bad actors across the board. so if you are a bad actor under that concept i should forgive your loan. so a slippery car salesman sells me a car and gosh i just got in a little bit over my head, we should forgive that. you arere using that same principle progress we have a responsibility puts i'm asking a

question are we going to carlos if you're a shady character and sell me a car load not the government but you because you have more authority than congress and the supreme court, we should forgive those car loans? >> we have a responsibility. >> of course not be we would not do that because we have responsibilities in this country. i love how we talk about free education. it is not free. are they teachers teaching for free? are they teachers teaching for free really simple i know we struggled with this last time. >> no.an >> they are underpaid protect someone is paying for the people paid for by the american taxpayers. if you have a right, you have a responsibility. and shame on. you for going ovr congress and the supremeyi court but with that i over, thank you. >> thank you. pursuant to the previous order the chair declares the committee in recess subject to the call of the chair. we will reconvene in f