Republicans are coming to terms with the oppressive nature of the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail the types of degree programs that qualify for federal aid.
The administration has tried to assert ideological control over various colleges and universities, following a model that authoritarian leaders, such as Adolf Hitler, have deployed for ages. And now the Department of Education is defending a new federal rule that could hamstring students in certain degree programs.
The rule will allow the use of IRS data to assess whether earnings for graduates of certain programs should prevent those programs from being eligible for the federal Direct Loan Program.
After The New Republic noted last week that the rule could have dire consequences for those pursuing degrees in fields such as social work, art and religious studies — to name a few examples — the Education Department got defensive.
“Too many graduates report delaying major life milestones like buying a home or starting a family,” the agency wrote on X. “Why? Because low return-on-investment programs saddled them with unmanageable debt that was never going to translate into a real-world job.”
“Federal student loans are not a welfare program for failing college programs,” the post added.
But some Republicans already see the rule’s obvious pitfalls, evidenced by the lawmakers we’re seeing bristle over the potential threat to religious studies. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and James Lankford of Oklahoma introduced legislation last week that would create a carve-out for religious studies programs and other faith-based disciplines.
Source: www.ms.now
