This fraud isn’t just being perpetrated on veterans, but on anyone trying to get ahead that doesn’t have rich parents to put them through school.
None of this country’s citizens should be defrauded, especially those doing what the Republicans tell them they should do - get an education to get ahead.
16
Having people from the for-profit college industry regulate the G.I. program is like putting foxes in charge of the hen house and claiming the decision is in the best interest of the chickens.
Here soldiers are encouraged to use taxpayer dollars to buy a near worthless degree that costs as much as a condo so that shady business execs can monetize their transition to a civilian career. Taxpayers get the bill. Veterans devote years of their precious time and effort chasing a mirage.
12
Many members of the Trump cabinet are incompetent, prejudiced, or a combination of both, but Betsy DeVos is much, much more than that. Not only does she not have any experience to oversee our education system, she has a perceived vendetta against it with the enormous deregulation that has occurred during her tenure. This deregulation is not only unnecessary, it is very harmful. Her rolling back of civil rights protections for LGBT students invites bullying and mistreatment of those students from their peers and staff, her attacks on regulations addressing financial misdeeds against students by for-profit colleges and her rescissions of guidance documents dealing with how to accommodate students with disabilities are creating atmospheres at American schools where if you’re not conservative or wealthy, the Department of Education doesn’t care about what can happen to you.
9
If we do this again, elect an unqualified fear mongering cheerleader; whether we deserve to go down the tubes or not, we will.
10
ONe of the great accomplishments of the Obama presidency was the forced bankruptcies of those predatory for-profit schools that raided unsuspecting citizens' bank accounts and left them with crushing debt, and no viable degrees. De Vos has single handedly undid all that work. People who were promised reimbursement for the debt they incurred-De Vos' administration has brought that reimbursement to a halt. This is why she is hands down my vote for the worst Cabinet member in the Trump admin, maybe the worst of all time. Be best!
17
None of this is surprising. One need only look at Betsy's background, which is little more than donating huge amounts of money (made off Amway pryamid schemes and government military contracts ...ironic) to religious schools, to understand that she despises public, secular education. Her revulsion for any type of critical thinking is apparent in her own schooling and the for-porfit schools that her family supports. DeVos is the most duplicitious and unqualified member of the Trump's cabinet.
9
It feels like half the democratic party is running for president so they don't have time to investigate creeps like Betsy De Vos.
2
If it's DeVos, it's all about the grift -> funneling other people's money to their people's pockets.
Country, morals, laws, people? Irrelevant.
5
As a vet I hate to see anyone taken advantage of, but when it comes to the cost of higher education or anything else in life it is buyer beware. We each have an obligation to ourselves to do our homework or we risk being taken down the rabbit hole.
6
Trump is consistent about the people he picks.Like him , they are
Unqualified, eager to dismantle our current programs to help others and anxiously taking away any and all programs to help
People ,no matter how deserving,example our veterans.
Disgusting in the extreme she is plowing her way through
Anything that looks like something that might help our country in the Long. run in order to save money for Trump to waste on trips to Florida and his ‘Estate ‘recently staffed by illegal immigrants.
Those he calls rapists and drug dealers! We ,are so appalled
And sickened by appointees lik De Vos we areready to throw
Up. For the sake of the country and our constitution take these
Evil thieves and despots out and never again let them in.Good
Riddance to Trumps Garbage!!!
3
This is just a preview of what will happen should the VA medical system be privatized. When some government functions are privatized be it at the local, state, or federal level the chance of fraud goes way up. I shudder to think should the VA medical system become privatized. I will concede that under some circumstances VA medical care could be privatized.
4
Misleading information appears to be rampant. I was approved to pursue a certificate from a Community college.
Tuition reimbursement was it Food, lodging, textbook ate what little savings I had. Towards the end I had to abandon my classes because of no money available for gasoline
19
How shameful this administration is. It's awful to think of today's vets who are tricked into attending fake schools that suck up the tax dollars we contributed to make the country better. Compare their experience with that of the vets who returned from WWII to attend real colleges on a real GI Bill, which fueled the boom of the middle class, and provided so many of us with a much higher quality of life than we could have expected without that Bill. I can hardly imagine where my family would be without it. How can this greedy creep put her greedy friends in the hen house, taking advantage of those who put their lives on hold and in danger to protect and defend the rest of us?
Betsy DeVos is unmasked as a latter-day Cruella de Ville from the Disney 101 Dalmations movie. She should be banned from polite society and rejected by people of character and integrity. Make it personal. She should be completely shunned by honest people, as should the former EPA Secretary and the rest of this sorry Cabinet be.
88
Just like virtually every other Trump cabinet appointee, DeVos was a perverse choice, selected not to strengthen and improve the agency in her charge, but to undermine and weaken its mission, this in order to make or keep the American people poor, sick and stupid AND boost corporate profits -- a two-fer as far as Putin and his hand puppet, Trump, are concerned.
8
To ordinary Americans trying simply to carve out dignified spaces for themselves in the fabric American society, candidate Donald J. Trump famously said "I am your voice!"
Too many ordinary Americans believed him, scarcely realizing that when narcissistic charlatans are elected to positions of high public trust, we should not be surprised when they behave like narcissistic charlatans.
2020 is just around the corner and not a moment too soon. Fool you once shame on him; fool you twice shame on you.
6
I hear ‘Academi’ is a wonderful organization working to improve the quality-of-life of veterans, and to keep our military uninvolved in conflicts which can be contracted out to private industry.
Betsy DeVos must just intend for our armed forces to take advantage of the immoral nepotism bestowed upon Erik Prince, and the war crimes which go totally under the radar because most news outlets are inundated with trash.
3
Betsy DeVos is a cancer on the youth in predominantly African American communities. I just came out of a meeting with a youth program in nyc that has been been a life saver for kids, keeping them off the streets and focused on their academics and future. Betsy recently defunded the program and our company is stepping up to fill in the void for these kids. Betsy DeVos is an empty soul whose only interests are confined to her family businesses.
15
Amen, and I love your post name!
3
Has there ever been an administration made up of so many ghastly people? Where do they find them?
8
As for B.DeVos...not to worry..'time wounds all heels'...
7
Quelle surprise.
Some prison is going to have devote a whole wing to this disgustingly corrupt administration.
(And I, for one, will be ripping mad if the sentiment is to let Trump off the hook, just because we don't want to have a President go to prison. If we let him and his corrupt "loyalists" go, then we are no longer a country that even pays lip service to the rule of law.).
8
When the Dems take over in 2 years, fire her on the spot, then prosecute, sentence, and incarcerate this horrible human being for years. LOCK HER UP!
6
While like him, all of Trump's cabinet picks are corrupt and selfish, De Vos' legacy may be one of the worst. America's secret to success has been that everyone, regardless of background or social status, has the right to an education. By gutting the public school systems, she and those she enriches, destroy one of the tenets of American opportunity. The result will be more stupid, ignorant citizens like her and Trump.
3
This is beyond disgusting. I have only one thing to say about Ms. DeVos: Lock her up!
8
Disgusting. However as usual in America: catch me if you can! The Prez believes that, tax returns. “It’s an americans job to cheat the iRS” your Prez on the campaign trail.
Disgusting but consistent!
1
Congress should move to eliminate the 90-10 loophole entirely, as that would make DeVos’s idiocy moot.
2
Betsy DeVos is to education what Exxon Mobil is to the ozone layer. Toxic.
2
"... unfettered access to a spigot of taxpayer funds." Eight words defining the goal of Trump and his corrupt cabinet.
Betsy DeVos is only Secretary of Education because she was born a billionaire. She is a walking argument for estate taxes.
4
Might there be a connection here with that proud flag waving scheme of a company, Amway ? Betsy DeVos is part of the Amway fortune which exploits the little guy while most of the profits go to those few at the top of the pyramid. Here too, the little guy (vets and taxpayers) are exploited so private schools reap a tidy profit. Amway is the perfect business model for Trump's Department Department of Education.
3
The SWAMP is so deep and smelly, that it cannot possibly be drained until Trump is replaced by a Democrat. Kicking McConnell to the curb will help too.
It is terribly clear that education is about the only thing that can save our next Great Generation. And broader thinking regarding what types of education matter are a matter of national security.
College isn't the answer for every person. But real and valuable vocational education is. And not just for veterans but also for those that are young and not in the military.
Unfortunately, Betsy isn't the cheerleader we desperately need. She is just a minion to Trump and his entourage. Pile on her all we want, it is Trump that has to go simply so that we can purge our nation of her embarrassment.
No other modern nation would put up with the like of De Vos. But here in the Trump world, were far too many people think he is answering their prayers, the rest of us have to endure the likes of De Vos and the others that couldn't care for a moment about the greater good.
Wake up Trump America. And wake up now while there is still a chance to redeem yourselves.
1
i am a viet nam vet. the g.i. bill paid for my degrees. great professional career. lock her up.
1
Obviously the Republican Senate, under Mitch McConnell and Mike Pence did a terrible job of vetting Betsy DeVos. She should never have been appointed in the first place. But that is who the GOP wanted and despite her private interests in Private schools and Universities she was put in the hen house.
I wonder, was she invested in ITT and Corinthian? Was Trump University one of the Universities that used the GI bill for any of their students?
Who is going to be in charge of an investigation of Betsy DeVos. She should be thrown out, along with the rest of the Cabinet members.
That said, the Department of Veterans Affairs has let this go on too long. They should sue the Betsy DeVos for dereliction of duty and for taking the Oath of Office to further the Education opportunities for all students, but instead raping the Education Budget for her friends in the for-profit industry.
57
I live in Michigan and have witnessed DeVos' attack on public education. It's not only about scams protecting for profit institutions receiving public funds from regulation. It also entails diversion of public school funds to for profit private charter schools (claiming those schools are actually public schools) and fighting any sort of accountability for charter schools. The DeVos clan sees a war against public schools, teachers and unions as a proper vehicle in propping up the Republican Party. Yep, it's complicated, just the way they like it.
3
There is a very simple fix to this issue: The Veterans Administration, which administers and certifies GI Bill payments, can simply refuse to certify the use of funds for these organizations ... thereby protecting veterans instantly.
The VA does not have to knowingly support fraud aimed at veterans.
6
All cabinet members in this administration are the same- they work against the very agency they are supposed to run. Good riddance when they leave and what work will be done.
I have a son in the military that is trying to finish a college degree. It has been postponed for now because he has to deploy. I hope this administration is gone before he begins . It is a disgrace how we treat our military and their families. I had no idea until I had someone in our military.
5
I think deregulation of the education industry, as well as other industries, including the environmental, temporarily props up employment statistics, despite the cost at the end of the line. Heretofore regulated companies and, the people who work for them, are allowed to run amok spreading all sorts of devastation in their wake. These are companies that would face bankruptcy or diminished returns if their nefarious practices were halted. Trump will be out of office before we get a handle on all of the resulting damage and put a stop to it, and he knows it. Cynical policies that make Trump look like a winner before one pulls back the curtain.
3
Betsy DeVos is evil, it should come to no surprise to anyone. She works for our public system while she advocates a private system that would rarely accommodate the disabled, LGBTQ, or foreign born populations within our country.
4
I noticed that Embry-Riddle waas mentioned in the list of dollars spent in various institutions. Not only is it accredited but, from the point of view of an retired teacher at ERAU, the students will have gotten an extremely good education. The Daytona Beach campus ranks number one in the nation ahead of the Air Force Academy.
Too many of my fellow veterans get deceived and sidetracked by the empty slogans of Republican leaders, but I hope they become increasingly aware of how risky and self-defeating it is to vote Republican.
4
On a positive note at least Betsy has no travel issues. It’s far more than can be said fro most of the Cabinet, She still rips off the USA at the expense of Veterans. Most Americans Like veterans. I sure do.
Betsy and her boss, The Donald, are crooks of the first order. Both of them, and a lot of their minions should be tried and convicted and spend the rest of their lives behind bars. No paroles or pardons ever!
2
When an article starts out with a false premise, I don't bother to read it.
You see, it is NOT Betsy DeVos vs. Student Veterans.
It is DONALD TRUMP vs. Student Veterans.
I know. Many veterans don't want to admit that by voting for Donny "I love Vlad Putin" Bonespurs, they have cut off their own noses.
I wish no veteran anything bad. But I DID NOT VOTE FOR TRUMP. So the fact that the five-time draft dodger who hates veterans is president is not MY FAULT. Let veterans stand up AGAINST TRUMP and the Republican Party.
3
Outside every military post or base in the US you will find dozens of business dedicated to separating GIs from their paychecks. This is just more of the same predation.
2
Every article that focuses on the 'bona fides' of some trump appointee 'begs' me to consider the 'subject' of THAT ONE as the MOST loathsome of 'the bunch.' Here then (once again, actually -- and 'to be sure'), Ms. DeVos regains the "Most Loathsome" title -- if only until the next day's or week's article 'about' another vile trump appointee.
(Of course … "Most Loathsome President" is a title 'earned' by trump alone -- and ... 'tis expected as much as prayed … one to be 'retired' in the disgrace of his name.
2
"Betsy DeVos vs. Student Veterans"?
Not to mention:
• Betsy DeVos vs. Students
• Betsy DeVos vs. Public Education
And of course:
• Trump "administration" vs. veterans, when it comes to benefits and healthcare
What are the likes of DeVos and Trump FOR?
• Betsy DeVos FOR edu-profiteers in public education
• Betsy DeVos FOR bogus education-for-profit scam colleges
• Betsy DeVos FOR predatory lenders to students
• Eric Prince, bother of Betsy DeVos and founder of Blackwater "Security" of Iraq War infamy, FOR mercenary armies profiting CEOs like him
• Donald Trump FOR putting people's children in harm's way in reckless warfare and fighing, as long as not HIS family
3
The good news is that DeVis and her cronies all have Support Our Troops ribbons on their cars. They are so sincere
And you can bet their kids will stay a million miles away from military service. That’s for dupes
3
Why no mention of how DeVos wakes her money? It's from for profit schools.
2
Trump ran one and you think his university alums are happyily
employed?
2
Devos is an unqualified incompetent political hack who continues to erode education support by her know-nothing policies. Ask her about objective-based learning and criterion-referenced testing and Bloom's Taxonomy. Hah!
1
You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!
Things haven't changed for the soldier since Kipling's time and Tommy Atkins service. .
57
@Lawrence
Thanks for posting. One of my favorite poems that I've quoted to people ... "all the way, drive on". From an ex trooper from The Herd.
8
Ms. Devos has accelerated the scams that the for profit schools have been using to access the federal funds, GI or Pell grants. All the schools need to do is enroll the student and sweep in the federal funds. Once they're registered, the money is the school's profit, and the responsibility and outcome of the "education" is on the student, along with any and all debt. Any sort of screening for whether the student is prepared or able to succeed at a, say, college level English or math course is not part of the bargain. Just sweep in the funds and let the students take care of themselves.
Taxpayers will be on the hook for the massive student debt failures in the coming years. It will be like the Savings and Loan crisis and taxpayer but bigger. This needs to be stopped and schools need to be held accountable.
5
For most us who used them, the for profit schools were simply a way to translate the skills we learned while on active duty into a format civilians would understand.
Running a small duty section in the military as an NCO, especially in the maintenance and support areas, is analogous to running a business unit. However, unless you have a degree from a civilian institution, most business are hard pressed to figure out where you might fit in their organization.
Honestly, I use the skills I gained from 20+ years being an AF Ammo troop far more than anything I learned in college, including before I enlisted.
..."predatory for profit...and low quality..." are the only colleges in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Exploiting veterans and deregulation are a Dutch heritage for Ms. DeVos and "just ok" for the rest of the country.
3
My sign at the first 2 Women's marches read:
(front)
Another retired Colonel against Trump
(back)
Privitization: Billionaires plan to rob America blind.
Says it all.
7
The real religion of people like DeVos and Trump is making money off anything and everybody. Lump all the big money Republican donors and you will find this common thread. They pretend to be religious only in as far as it makes them more money. Think of your10 year old son or daughter as a profit center for these people. Weather they are educated or go broke trying to get educated, these people could care less.
7
Just because you are right does not mean you can say so in this Administration. Shame on them.
The GOP and DeVos saw the money and seek to exploit as much of the loopholes to enrich themselves and their cronies. This is not a conspiracy theory this is real. I have seen first hand how veterans are treated by these for-profit "colleges". Taxpayer money should be monitored. The ethical breaches clearly indicates how far DeVos and cronies will go to reach our money. Veterans are left high and dry again by immoral corrupt officials. Koch Brothers want the VA to go private to scam us out of more money, just look at your own medical bill to understand the billions at stake. DeVos was wrong for this job and her cruelty towards veterans is compounded by the horrible aftermath of having a worthless degree in hand at an employment interview and being shown the door.
5
I work at a community college in CT. I and the others who work here hate those 'for profit" schools. They charge the students/government $20,000 or S30,000 or $40,000 for worthless degrees. Then the 'in debt for life' students come here for a high quality, low cost education
My thoughts on DeVos are not printable in the NYT.
7
So none of the BAs working at Starbucks attended a public college?
Secretary of Education is not a figurehead position. The most charitable thing you can say about Ms. DeVos is that she is not up to the task. Or maybe she is just corrupt.
2
We need to rethink the overall idea of a GI Bill. Keeping it going just because we instituted one following WWII is based on nostalgia and emotion. Recruiting the volunteer force is quite expensive. The training provided can take a year. Overall, the taxpayer invests a small fortune in the recruitment, screening, transporting, training, feeding, clothing, housing and caring for military personnel. The career field they are trained for is decided by the needs of the service and provides them with experience in a set field. Once they’re discharged, the taxpayer shouldn’t be on the hook to change that field based on a whim. This is particularly true since we haven’t won a war since 1945. As a veteran, I fulfilled my obligation to serve but as an Army recruiter told me, “You serve your country. Your country doesn’t serve you.” My MOS wasn’t of my choosing but it taught me responsibility if nothing else.
3
The first thing Republicans will do to fix the problem; give the DOD more money and then tout their unrivaled patriotism for the troops.
The last thing Republicans will do to fix the problem; get rid of the loophole.
3
I evaluate student learning for a regionally accredited state university and I am saddened by so many students who have attended for-profit colleges like those mentioned. They do not have transferable credits, cannot achieve certification as health professionals. The fact that these predatory schools go after the military and the poor is an example of what the goals really are for these schools - to keep people down.
I can pretty much guarantee that no lobbies or position or De Vos family member attended one of these fraudulent schools. NYS used to be a guard against this but that went away under previous administrations- why?
4
Allowing a right wing billionaire to run rampant over our education system is a travesty as she is heavily invested in for profits schools and is ignorant about the basics of education . Another corrupt billionaire placed to head an agency she wants to destroy by our president Trump who seems to be doing Putin's bidding to divide the country and make it an ally of dictatorships around the world his favorite style of govt.
5
Time to stop referring to these rip-offs as either colleges or universities as they are nothing of the sort.
Fraud Factories would be more like it. DeVos, her family and the Trumps have made millions defrauding veterans and are quite proud of that. Money is money, it all spends the same no matter the source. That what holds this administration together. That, and the idea that there's only so many investigations that can be conducted at one time by the crippled Department of Justice. Opportunity knocks!
5
This article is just one more example of the deceitful means that Trump and Co. use to steal tax dollars. Take a department meant for oversight and make them facilitators of their own demise.
4
DeVos epitomizes everything that is wrong about this country. Her $40,000,000 yacht should be impounded, sold, and the proceeds given to veteran's organizations. Toss in the multimillion dollar summer "cottage", helicopters, and private plane as well. If this is democratic socialism, then I'm all for it.
6
American consumers are really on their own notwithstanding nonprofit do-gooders that look out for us. Still, for the less sophisticated, lazy, etc a good rule of thumb is sticking with public state schools - the community colleges and later possibly transferring to a four year institution. If it is in the same system all the better. While college isn't for everyone, some community college systems have excellent technical certificates and degrees. Don't let the DeVos bandit caravan misuse your benefits.
2
I don't remember so much the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves from my childhood, but it's how I've come to think of trump, his cabinet and aids - greedy, self-serving and corrupt to the bone.
2
It does not seem to me that DeVos has the intelligence to run this scam of defrauding the government and abusing the veterans. I doubt Trump has the wherewithal as well. So who really is running this scam and many other of the government programs. Most of these cabinet officials are way over there heads.
3
I hope you didn't expect better. The appointment of DeVos reminded me of a similarly awful event: the nomination of George W. Bush's tag-along "house lawyer", Harriet Miers, to a vacant Supreme Court seat.
Our system doesn't require much in the way of qualifications for any post. Miers was a lawyer, but she didn't need to be. Anyone can sit on the Supreme Court bench, just as anyone can be Speaker of the House or head the Department of Education, even someone with no knowledge of public or private education systems at all.
Yes, the Emperor Caligula did name a horse to the consulship, and Trump named DeVos to a post for which she was equally unqualified... and therefore dangerous. That's what you're experiencing: an admixture of ignorance, gullibility and foolishness. This administration is rife with such, starting right at the top.
Sic Semper Tyrannis
3
We think that DeVos will not answer for her actions because she and her friwnds are making and will make a lot of money doing it her way. We are fortunate here in the Archipelico that we do not think and act like her and your current federal government leaders.
Well, we can thank Betsy DeVoss for one thing: she and the rest of Trump's corrupt Cabinet cronies are a shining example of what is driving more and more Americans (and particularly the young) toward embracing Democratic Socialism. Keep up the good work, Betsy, so we can finally get some legislation to provide relief from the grotesque greediness of people like you.
6
Nope, let her run rampant on the vets, and everyone else. Let everyone see the cancer that is trump and his circle. The more that Republican voters get a taste of this administration, the better.
I am a retired army officer, vietnam vet. When I came back I used the GI Bill to get an MA and Ph.D.
I taught at a state university and was tenured.
I had some ex military students who were good students.
It changed with 9/11
The nation expanded the GI bill and benefits
The private sector saw money to be made.
I went on military bases and saw shake and bake degrees from questionable accrediting agencies begin in predatory and rapacious conduct to pry those benefits from veterans and sell worthless degrees.
Yay free enterprise. I wonder if Trump U got any of that money.
Yes Veterans should be protected from Trump and his draft dodging cronies.
But equally significantly, students should be protected from academic scam artists.
I tell friends for an 18 year old it is like going into a knife fight armed with a plastic spoon.
John McCain used to shamelessly defend U Phoenix.
So DeVos prostates herself before the predators and ....
Vietnam Vet
6
When you are a Trust Fund Baby like Betsy Devos or her tempetram prone little brother Prince, you have no need to learn or develope a marketable skill to provide for yourself and/or contribute to society in a meaningfull way.
Searching for ways to bilk, cheat and scam in the marketplace or worse, the government is what you gravitate to.
Trust Fund Babies are a liability on our society. We need to save them from themselves and confiscate half of their wealth.
3
Understanding that degrees from these "colleges" are looked upon as worthless, don't go to them. Betsy Devos is a private sector invention, made to be discarded.
Protect our student children from Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Stephen Miller, Kellyanne Conway and Melania Trump.
Since 9/11/01 a mere 0.75% of Americans have volunteered to wear the military uniform of any American armed force. Veterans have the Department of Veterans Affairs to look out for them and their interests.
2
Veterans shmeterans, give me a break. Betsy has a family to support, not to mention her mercenary brother's impending legal bills.
5
"In a stunning ethical breach, a senior aide to Ms. DeVos fabricated letters of support for Acics from other accreditors, which quickly exposed the lie."
Hardly "stunning"
Her boss is a political hack with zero creds in education management . (she gave 9 million to get the job in the form of campaign contributions)
HER boss is the Trump University sccammer hisself!
Virtually every member of Trumps department head staff have been proven incompetent and/or corrupt AND few others are just marking time -achieving little or nothing!
4
In my state there are 5000+ students in high school and under, in one "charter school" that tay at home, get online learning, and the company gets paid for doing it. $ to stay home. Public $. The quality of Charter schools is rarely looked at. Billionaires like DeVos profit in annual returns from their Charter schools, whether they do good, or poorly-- little oversight. DeVo's schools did poorly. She got paid anyway. Her brother in law runs mercenaries. Mercenaries don't have a code of conduct like these veterans, and don't represent the US army, just profit. Are we to privatize everything? DeVos can't make money without ripping off the US public?
2
My tax dollars aren’t being appropriated legitimately — the House MUST have a public hearing to hold Betsy DeVos, her cronies, and her brother to account.
6
Barbara Underwood had to step in with a lawsuit to stop Trump's charity that scammed veterans to enrich his family. Now, we have the daughter of the founder of Amway scamming veterans and school children alike.
Only a monster would act to destroy our public school system and rip off those who want to improve their lives through education and hard work. Yet, that's what it means to be a Republican today. They don't even care if our kids are shot down and murdered in their classrooms.
The GOP has declared war on Americans and on every good and kind that we built.
5
This is how the free market works. Any area where people could make money (health care, education, religion) becomes an area where people do make money. The money makers are entrepreneurs, and the purpose of society is to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs to succeed without limit. The rest of us, the losers who are bad at the game or do not want to play, are just raw material, the soil in which their success is grown.
An indispensable part of the free market is the thick layer of bull that keeps the raw material fertile ground for entrepreneurs and keeps such weeds as scientists, preachers, educators, environmentalists, ethical leaders, statesmen, or philosopher-kings from growing.
2
My husband is a Certified Veterans Service Officer, and I am an attorney certified to represent Vets in appeal proceedings. It's clear hat DeVos, patently unqualified at the outset to be Secretary of Education, is just one Trump appointee attacking Veterans' benefits and protections. The Trump VA is now doing is best to cut unemployability support payments to disabled Vets; "recoup over payments" from elderly Vets and surviving spouses that the VA previously approved; and to lease or sell off Veterans hospitals and VA grounds, forcing Vets into HMO-like networks against their wishes. These benefits were promises made to our military personnel. If the USA is reneging on these obligations, nothing is safe.
6
Just one more nicely explained scam whereby the self-described "wealth creators" write and exploit rules that allow them to extract wealth from the rest of society. Folks, we really and truly would all be better off if the oligarchs, the real "takers", relocated to some distant tax haven and left us alone.
5
For active duty military these schools are worthwhile. If the hierarchy demands a degree for a job that doesn’t require one these schools are perfect. I was ahead of the for profit trend but got Bachelors and Masters from conventional non profit schools geared to get money by teaching on base to military students. They got me the check marks I needed for career advancement.
As a leader in a veterans' organization, I'm not sure Ms. DeVos is the appropriate target here. I thought you needed to be antagonistic to be seen as an enemy, but not she's guilty of NOT doing something? Sin of omission?
Yes, for-profits can be predatory, but they can also facilitate pathways for students who can't get into traditional schools, or fail out. Take nursing programs for example...if students fail out in a traditional BN program for whatever reason, for-profits still give students opportunity to try again.
@Gideon Strazewski
Seriously, do you want a graduate who failed in a traditional nursing program to be caring for you or a family member. Yes, these students can get additional education and be readmitted, but the standards are there so competencies are demonstrated. For-profit schools do not provide additional education or proof of success. For-profits are money traps, nothing more.
4
Republican politicians are always wearing their flag pins and talking about how they revere our military and veterans.
How do they get away with it?
8
Devos and family are the ones behind the law suites to oppose ballot measures hoping to overturn gerrymandering.
1
Great to see that federal and AG oversight is still alive. The prosecution landscape is complicated by the scope of "fox guarding the hen house" Trump appointments. Betsy DeVos is only one of the many that should go to jail. Then the next administration Department of Education needs to begin again to clean up the for profit mess they were making some progress on.
1
The axiom "caveat emptor" has never been more relevant than it is under the trump presidency. Given the gutting of federal protections on every front by his (mis-)administration, veteran's advocacy groups would be better off directing their efforts to veterans themselves. Sound the alarm against the ripoffs that are occurring. If veterans take their education benefits to reputable institutions, the for-profit exploitation factories will be starved of a major source of income.
5
Since Reagan, the conservative agenda has been to dismantle and delegate all governmental functions to private industry.
Example: education, prisons and now detention centers.
Trump and his cabinet have simply EXPOSED what has been hidden in clever slogans and smiles. Example: their "clean" air initiative was actually adding more mercury. Their stealth continues in the form of highly funded PAC's doing opposition research and then presenting negative stories on 2020 Democratic hopefuls! Not one positive agenda to help the many, just power and money for the few. ENOUGH!
1
The 90/10 loophole needs to be removed by congress so that Ms. De Vos or subsequent predators cannot use it. Time to drop a note to my congressman.
6
If DeVos gets her way, she will profitize her ilk for every educational institution from k-12 through college. Like Trump, she is using her position and tax money to enhance her own holdings. She is as detrimental to education as Trump 's tariffs are to trade.
9
LIke the rest of Trump's sycophantic cabinet chiefs, Betsy DuhVos is out to line her pockets and those of her family with their investments in for-profit "colleges." Hoisting a degree in the air from one of these schools is usually the last victory lap those students get.
Most employers know those for-profit schools leave their graduates deeply in debt and short of the knowledge they need for the jobs they seek.
DuuuhhhhVos is more than a cog in the Trump crime syndicate. Her animosity for public education, and preference for "Christian" private schools is well known. And with her family's personal interest as investors in for-profit career schools, she is another violator of the emoluments rules.
Of course, most Americans would love to see Betsy head for the exits like Zinke and Pruitt. But as Trump has proven over and over again, in this administration, an old rule remains: You cut the head off and another grows in its place.
10
People in the business of making money off Veteran services (the authors) claim some are unpatriotic for treating Veterans like regular Americans. I feel the U.S. is becoming like the totalitarian government in the movie Starship Troopers. In the near future there will 2 classes of citizens, privileged veterans and the rest of us underlings. I am a veteran myself but I will be with the underlings.
2
I sometimes wonder whether THE WALL is a purposeful distraction Trump uses so that his cabinet's deregulation, favoring business over consumer and weakening protections continues unabated without dominating the news cycle.
15
I believe the same thing!
2
This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't at all believe we owe anything extra to anybody who is not a *combat* veteran, or a veteran who was deployed directly into a combat zone but happened to not have seen combat.
For 90% of individuals - myself included - the military was just a job...not a selfless act of sacrifice. I was paid for my work.
If we'd like to honor anybody, honor the less than 10% who actually put themselves in the position to be in combat. If you want to go even further, limit it to the less than 1% of all military personnel who actually fire a weapon in combat.
If you want to make sure that money is available to those who were there to sacrifice it all, don't make it as equally available to those who did little more than chip paint in Norfolk for 4 years.
5
@Chris
You are going against the opinion that we owe an education to everyone and that we all benefit from an educated citizenship.
I must admit that I am of the opinion that a free education is often worth nothing and that part of a valuable educational is earning the funding (or credit worthiness) and deciding on how to best spend that funding.
1
It would be interesting to list the states that did not join that suit.
I'm sure Florida is one of them, Pam Bondi being a useful tool for any corporate vs. people decision.
6
For profit colleges should not be allowed.
12
Who is not a criminal in the Trump Administration? Betsy de Vos was not qualified for her position, like nearly all of Trump's nominees and cabinet members. Any American educator could do a better job. She destroyed Detroit public education with private pyramid scheme charter schools. Her husband got rich off Amway, another sort of pyramid scheme. What a shame for veterans, who should not apply to for-profit school, period. Democrats will stand with veterans. Will Republicans?
14
This for-profit profiteering has been going on for decades, and DeVos is doing all she can to remove any brakes that have been put in place since the early 90's. Besides serving as a conduit for GI Bill funding, they also load Veterans and other students with tens of thousands in non-dischargable debt for programs they are unlikely to finish, much less lead to increased earnings. These suckers (excuse me, "students") carry the default forever as a serious drag on their ability to buy homes, get credit, or get jobs that require credit-worthiness. So the schools have taken in lower income students trying to better themselves, loaded them with consumer debt and disadvantaged them even worse than they already where. Congrats, Betsy
7
It's ironic how Trump and the GOP argue for smaller government, yet like leeches they find loopholes to grab tax payer money that increases their profit at private enterprises. All they do is scour the landscape for opportunity to get their claws into education, because it is the last frontier for huge amounts of federal dollars to line their pockets and at the same time dismantle a working, beneficial institution —not for profit, public education. All the while, they promise and deliver nothing. What has these folks so short on integrity and so long on anger, disdain and greed?
16
Betsy DeVos blatantly shills for for profit schools in which she and her family have financial interest. Along with the short sighted greed, she is in effect, promoting the conservative goal of making education difficult for the majority of Americans. Some of the motivation is purely financial, but underlying it all is the objective of making the populace more malleable by keeping them uneducated and uninformed.
13
In most so called developed countries this is called corruption and the perpetrators end up behind bars, for years. The US Congress and Senate have been highly successful in ensuring that many such ‘corrupt practices’ are made legal so that they, their friends and supporters are enriched. Don’t expect that utterly spineless toady of Trump, Mitch McConnell, to do anything to help the Vets.
13
Why doesn't this report mention the NAMES of those schools that are the worst offenders?
8
For the record, how many congressional Republicans have criticized Betsy DeVos's flagrant disregard for the population she's supposed to be representing? One? Even fewer?
Republicans consider the main job of the Dept. of Ed. is to look out for the interests of the for-profit 1%; not the student.
5
“The fox is running the henhouse.” Seems pervasive.
We could more aptly refer to this group as the Skulk of Education under Secretary Betsy DeVixen. Only the finest people.
3
@Tim Reilly
Her real name is Betsy DeVoid.
The goal of this administration seems to be a dictator at the helm, and an uneducated population facilitates that goal.
Betsy DeVos is qualified for that job: she took Michigan schools and wrung out public money to give to for-profit schools. Michigan now rivals Mississippi in public education.
I recently watched a fourth-grade boy, pencil in hand, idea in mind, paralyzed because he didn’t know how to approach “brown.” His penmanship was terrible, his approach to forming printed letters erratic. These children won’t be able to read their history in the original, so they won’t know it when the dictator changes key documents.
Does the emoluments clause apply to the Cabinet? Seriously, DeVos’ cheerfully-embraced mandate seems to be to destroy public education, with a special emphasis on gutting programs that encourage women to flourish. Her family enriched themselves on charter schools in Michigan. Does she also have stock in these G-I-fleecing “college” operations?
5
Holly Petraus is a true hero.
2
Its not only Veterans that are receiving that so-called 'stinky, smelly end of the stick'. Americans seek further education so that they may procure a better job. Colleges, trade schools that operate for profit are notorious for issuing diplomas that aren't worth the paper upon which each are written.
When the fox operates the hen house, namely, B. DeVos, is in favor of no educational standards and/or schools that teach absolutely nothing that parents who don't understand the 21st Century elect to send their children to, what can one expect?
Ms. DeVos has a history of being 'down with' the predatory educational opportunity providers, because she is one. Yet another swamp dweller gift, courtesy of POTUS and his Republican supporters America receives. I guess, Ms. DeVos is trying to guarantee that like her boss, children, veterans & other Americans who seek & need education, never advance any further than POTUS. In other words, tweets, no comprehension of history/reality & Fox/Info Wars, etc., believers who concur with one ridiculous conspiracy theory after another.
Some people cry about Obama's attempt to make sure that all schools met an improved standard of education. Obama was slammed. Who could forget folks who couldn't put a sentence together screaming about how they lost their freedom & couldn't understand math & science being taught to their children? America keep eating your future with the De Voses of this country! MAGA?
4
My goodness please do not dance around the facts .
DeVos and her cronies are laying cover for these diploma mills.
Veterans are not receiving any skills or an education.
DeVos and The Con Man in Chief are marching to the same band which is take advantage of the system just like Trump University handed out worthless certificates and diplomas.
Diploma mills are a terrible sin destroying so many aspects of our society. I am so disappointed by the so called educators receiving their doctorates from these pay for a degree programs.
4
An irony: The money being wasted by for-profit colleges is resulting in a huge proportion of the student debt that the left is using to advocate for free college.
Ms. Devos is actually a far left socialist in disguise.
Unaccountable public servants are not making anything great again but their bank accounts. DONALD J. TRUMP must defend GEORGE BUSH JR. and his administration, or someone will figure out what happened in the White folk's House.
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." --George Bush Jr.
3
Betsy DeVos represents the most evil, rapacious, and predatory aspects of this vile administration. In a Cabinet of "wolves guarding the hen house," she seems the hungriest and the most determined to destroy the very thing she oversees. Wolves, of course, do not make their decisions based on issues of morality: they are driven by instinct. As an ostensibly moral being, DeVos should be doing whatever she can to improve the lot of veterans and reward them for their service to this country. The Secretary of Education, however, embodies the amoral character which appears to define nearly everyone still associated with Trump. Squeezing veterans, pulling the rug out from under them, is just another day's work for this band of treasonous buffoons. The GI Bill and its ancillary measures represent some of the most important legislation passed in the last 100 years. The impact of these measures can not be measured in mere dollars and cents. But to DeVos and her cronies, it's ONLY about dollars and cents, and the extent to which they can separate veterans from their hard-earned dollars.
5
I used the GI Bill after Vietnam, but went to public universities. They don't lie to veterans, at least SDSU didn't, about what is expected of you, and expectations of your life after college. Since lying is the national pastime now, promulgated by a tiny brained Wharton School president, then it's ok for everyone to do it, including his rather ignorant Secretary of Education. Another Republican woman, Lynn Cheney, years ago made the statement only an anti-American wealthy Republican could: "If you can afford to send your children to private school, they probably shouldn't go to school". That's the Republican play book on education now, and given the killing of K-12 the last couple of decades it works well for them and their angry white voters with a poor education.
3
Whaaat?
Are you saying there's corruption in this administration?
*gasp* I'm shocked, shocked!
3
Having experienced zero hardship in her own sheltered life has obviously had a toxic effect upon Ms. DeVos, leaving her with an empathy deficit exceeded only by Donald Trump. That pathology cannot be repaired in either of them and requires the rest of us to resist and to attempt to minimize the damage. As this piece documents there are few instances in which the need to do so is clearer.
3
About 6 years ago my Father, a retired Navy Cheif officer, was hospitalized at a military hospital accessible only through a military or special pass. In the lobby were a series of tables set up so I checked out their offerings. They were there representing an array of private for profit "colleges". I asked why them and no representatives of local public colleges. None could answer my question. But obviously someone from the notoriously conservative military establishment authorized their entrance. And did not bother to invite representatives from local public colleges and universities of which there are many.
Secondly, DeVoss's family (brother Prince) is into privatizing and profitizing all government services including the military. Jeb Bush is a great supporter of her and carried out many of her goals in Florida's public schools. Note neither of them care about performance metrics. Both have ties to the for profit education industry.
To vote for a republican is to vote for the pillaging and profitization of public assets from education, public lands and resources, parks and our paid into social services. By far this is the most profit serving cabinet ever. Beware of any infrastructure proposals from the Transportation Department. Elaine C. McConnell's wife would love to privatize roads bridges and other infrastructure. User fees in the long run cost the public more than taxes to support these services. Hence profit gained.
Never vote republican.
5
Secretary DeVoss and her underlings need to explain themselves to a House Committee. Some public shaming and an investigation into conflict of interest is very much in order. Getting 49 state attorney generals to agree on anything is a very telling point, foxes in the hen house indeed.
5
The solution to every mess we are in is SO easy to fix.
People in power in OUR political/legal/military/secret service complexes must stop waiting for robber-baron manipulated laws and judges to work and SET A NEW PRECEDENT.
They must stop talking and REMOVE THE CON DON, MINISTER PENCE AND TRAITOR MITCH MCCONNELL RIGHT NOW and put Speaker Pelosi in charge of managing OUR government.
She can immediately kick out all The Con Don's appointees, rescind his executive orders, protect the Mueller investigation, prevent any presidential pardons and set OUR United States of America back on track.
All it take is for a few people to have the guts. This is OUR country and they must help WE THE PEOPLE protect it. No one is safe if The Con Don and his Robber Baron brethren aren't removed. No one.
3
Devos "also has more than $1 million in an undisclosed venture related to education. And although her filings do not show any direct ownership stake in a private for-profit college, she has chosen to put some of her money into firms that are invested in that industry," reported American Progress at the time of her confirmation. Also note that when Donald Trump Jr referred to teachers as "losers," there was no response from Ms Devos.
7
The WWII GI bill enabled my father to become the first college graduate from his tiny Texas town. He attended University of Colorado, and later, Northwestern University for a masters. The son of a subsistence-level cotton farmer, he became a geologist, and lifted his own family into the middle class, also buying houses for his parents and sister.
That's what a military bill should do for our current veterans. Public universities and colleges benefit the student--help these institutions stay viable for non-veteran citizens as well.
Question: can a cabinet member be impeached?
7
There are five reasons veterans choose these schools: 1) There are virtually no admission standards so it's incredibly easy to enroll and easy to game the attendance requirement 2) The VA pays for all tuition and fees, 3) The student gets a living allowance, plus 4) pockets all financial aid for personal use, including loans and 5) due to the promise of loan forgiveness and income driven repayment, there is a perverse incentive to borrow as much as possible and for the school to look the other way.
3
One more time around the mulberry bush... this sort of thing is endemic in the Trump administration, but we already knew that.
If there is a possible silver lining to the whole Trump tale, it might be that we need to hold government to an even higher standard than we did before. After all, he got elected in the first place because people thought the government wasn't working for us and some people thought he would drain the swamp. They've got to work for us or get out.
It's simple to say but harder to do.
2
I would certainly eliminate the 90/10 rule, but would go even further in restricting government aid and student loans. These programs benefit the schools (tax-exempt as well as for-profit) more than they benefit the schools.
Student loans should be severely restricted - no one should graduate (or drop out) with $100,000 or more in debt. Schools should be required to provide tuition and fee-free educations for those who have maxed out on student loans (with the maximum allowed based on realistic career prospects.)
The other change I would make is to make the colleges guarantors of the loans their students receive. That would certainly give them the incentive to ensure that students get degrees that give them the means to repay their loans.
There is a crisis in student lending and the American taxpayer is going to pay the bill. Too many young people have debt they cannot repay. This will be the next financial crisis.
3
Unfortunately, this line of thinking is nothing more than the continuation of a campaign launched by the Obama administration against for-profit companies with some misguided presumption that non-profits are 1) virtuous and 2) should be the exclusive beneficiary of federal funds. Instead of regulations based on whether the school is for-profit or non profit, there should be a unified and consistent standard that holds ALL schools accountable. Ignore the fact that the government is directing $150B of tax revenues to state and community colleges which forces students attending for-profits to pay more themselves. Currently, for profits lose their access to federal funds if they fail to place students in jobs or have a threshold graduation rate. However, because these regs do NOT apply to non profit. As such non profit community colleges have a 39% graduation rate for 2 year degrees after 6 - yes 6 years. In addition, there no require for job placement. The point is that there should be a consistent system of regulations, transparency for all schools. Period
2
The mere fact that this can happen -- and continue unabated, in plain sight, due to a corrupt president, his own partition of the electorate that willfully ignores the obvious, and legislators in his own party for whom "enabler" is a "value" rather than a dysfunction -- speaks to a need for a powerful and more broadly applicable "Past or Present Corruption in Government Office Act".
There are many other areas (lobbying, campaign finance, etc.) that require legislative action, but given the long list of Trump appointees that appreciate unfettered power to enact hitherto unthinkable actions (fleecing taxpayers and the public at every turn), and the fact that those criminals are protected by a president and his party, suggests that we need laws with teeth that will will outlive any single administration.
There must be a way for the DOJ under a future administration to go after those who are so blatantly, drunkenly robbing American citizens. It may take two or six more years, but Betsy DeVos (and so many others like her) must be held to account, so that those who attain equivalent positions in the future will know that, no matter how easy and safe it may seem at the time, they will be found and punished.
The fact that you can does not mean that you should.
The fact that you can get away with it now should not mean that you will never face punishment.
A bipartisan issue should be the fact that this is banana republic behavior that should never be tolerated or possible here.
2
It’s hard to believe I’m reading about this thievery again. Wasn’t the Obama administration well on his way to fixing this mess? Then the Trump / Devos team undid their work, and now its deja vu all over again. It’s one step forward two steps back, all exhausting and demoralizing.
9
Let veterans stand up for themselves. When the money is gone, it's gone, and too bad if it was wasted. If that's what veterans want, they got it. This 90/10 loophole was put there on purpose, to funnel money to private, for profit schools. Simple as that.
41
@Steve
I was the veteran's officer (as an additional duty) for the hundred thousand Americans, many on active duty, on Okinawa during 1975-1976. In those olden days you could not use VA (taxpayer provided) benefits on a course of study that did not either lead to an accredited degree or prepare the vet for a job. DeVos is successfully reversing that principle, so that for-profit colleges can feed at the public trough without providing vets training or education. Trump surely wishes she had made policy when he had his fraudulent little "Trump University".
In polls in the NY Times I voted for her from the beginning as Trump's worst cabinet member. That is high condemnation indeed.
423
@Steve
It seems to me that the "90/10 loophole" gives the veteran a bit more clout with their benefit dollar. The school has to recruit veterans in much the same way they recruit students that have hard cash to fund their education.
How many veterans attend Harvard because their benefit dollar is treated like cash?
Ok, so maybe the veterans can stand up for themselves, but what about the taxpayers? If taxpayer money is largely propping up these for-profit schools, then there’s clearly something wrong with how the schools are doing business.
Even more clear: DeVos and her cronies from the for-profit college sector are operating outside of any reasonable ethical boundaries, and it’s way past time Congress held her feet to the fire. Will they though?
77
How about a more significant revision to the GI bill and just fund a 529 plan for every veteran?
With a 529 plan the veteran can spend the benefit to educate their children, a spouse, themselves. These veterans have earned the benefit, get it out of the hands of the bureaucrats and give the veteran the power over their own wallet.
2
The author thinks Ms De Vos works for and looks out for the interests of the students? No. She works for those well inside the 1%. Those folks don’t need public education and don’t want it available to the general public. Those folks just want more $wealth and to get as far away from the 99% as possible. Stop analyzing why Betsy’s policies collide with what she’s supposed to be doing. She doesn’t care about the public. Those aren’t her people.
392
@Bascom Hill
And they try to label liberals "elitist". What could be more elitist than destroying public education and giving government support to private schools.
DeVos has no moral sensitivity and looks down on all the people who do not have her millions. I don't know who is more lacking in humanity, Betsy or her brother, Eric. Both suffer from greed without conscience.
89
@Bascom Hill I think you really missed the point of the article, which is that Ms. DeVos is NOT looking out for the interests of students. Quite the opposite. She is a huckster. In it for herself and her cronies. The author provides specific examples of that.
Not sure where you got that analysis.
10
@Bascom Hill
Did you read the article? It says just the opposite, that she is looking out for the big profit seekers and not the GIs who want education and have earned it by putting their lives on the line for this country!
13
Blatant exploitation of veterans’ aspirations for private financial advantage? Rewriting the regulations to benefit the exploiters at the expense of the veterans whose interests they’re supposed to protect? What a platform point for Democrats in 2020.
143
@pernel
Please remember that President Obama tried to remediate this issue and was pounded down by Senator McCain and the republican draft dodgers in Congress.
17
@pernel. One of so many.
6
Here's a proposal for a study of the problem. Compare the types of schools attended by, and the success rates as measured by incomes, of GI Bill students following WWII and the Vietnam War. Then stack that up against the educations being offered to and taken by GI's since 9/11.
My dad went through Oklahoma A&M (now OSU) on the GI bill. It was sufficient to cover tuition, books and the quonset hut housing for married vets provided by the school. He had no debt when he graduated.
It took me several years after Vietnam to begin to plan a future, and when I did return to college I had wasted all but two years of the time allowed to use the GI Bill to pay for college. Still, though the version of the bill for Nam vets was not as generous as the original was for Dad's generation, I got an associate degree fully paid for and with a significant amount of living expenses (that I would have had to pay for school or no school), so I, too, was free of a the burden of a school loan.
Today's vets, in the crosshairs of for-profit (I hate to call them this) schools, and aided and abetted by their shill in Trump's cabinet are not getting anything like the bargains Dad and I and millions of our fellow vets received.
Countless articles here and other newspapers and periodicals have pointed out this fact going back over a decade now. That DeVos is one of Trump's original picks for his cabinet says much. None of it positive. Until she is gone, it will get worse before it gets better.
225
@Glen - interestingly the vast majority of student veterans are getting good educations, with a little less than 20% of student veterans attending for-profits. the majority go to public schools (about 60%) and private not-for-profits (about 20%) and graduate at higher rates than their peers. BUT over 100,000 start college each year, and about 20,000 of them will go to for-profits where they receive a less valuable education, graduate at lower rates, and pay higher rates, expending nearly 40% of all GI Bill dollars. A little consumer protection would go a long ways here in eliminating waste and preventing bad colleges from taking money from student veterans.
11
@Glen
My father and his brothers used the WWII GI Bill when they returned from the war. They paid back the country as productive taxpayers many, many times over.
8
@Glen
Great point. The GI Bill as a Mellennial is good but nothing compared to the WW2/Korean vets. All of my friends attending state universities end up burning through it by the third year and have to cough up extra money for the fourth year or try to get through the bureaucratic mess of vocational rehab, if they meet the disability requirements. This is why I've had friends jump at for-profit schools: they promise to be shorter and leave you with some benefits for later education.
3
Ms. DeVos is like all of President Trump's appointees. Their philosophy conflicts with the mission of the agency/department to which they are appointed. Perhaps their real mission is to dismantle or disarm those entities until they no longer effectively exist. With Congress ceding its appropriations power to the president through his declaration of a national emergency, soon the only government we'll have left is a dictator at the helm.
11
I realize that this is a ridiculous suggestion given who is running the government now but isn't there a way for the armed services to compile a list of for profit schools that are merely money snatchers? It seems to this reader that the armed services, indeed our entire government, ought to have a real and abiding interest in seeing to it that all monies issued to students for education are going to accredited schools rather than diploma mills or whatever these institutions are called now.
4
@hen3ry
Your suggestion may be ridiculous given the current administration, but this was unfortunately impossible even under President Obama. Rules exist which prevent the federal government from picking private sector winners, and the current lobbying environment prevents meaningful change even on what seems like a common-sense bipartisan issue. Fortunately, veterans education matters, and there are a number of non-profit groups including the College Board, Ithaka S+R, Veterans Education Success, and Student Veterans of America who are doing what they can to improve transparency and guidance, so veterans can make more informed decisions.
4
@Adam Behrendt thank you for your information. I'm more than a little surprised because I would think it is in everyone's best interests to ensure that funds given to any person for education are used for it. I'm not referring to what a person's family gives either.
I'm glad to know that there are some non-profits out there working to help veterans. I hope they help other students too. Taking money this way is nothing short of fraud and larceny.
1
She is the next of Trumps minions who first - needs to go , and second then needs to be prosecuted for helping decimate the education system. Shame, we sometimes have the misconception a woman, mother, grandmother would have children’s best interests at heart. Adversely, she seems to be just like all the other cabinet members he appointed who have done their worse for our country. And proceeded to benefit her friends and family from her actions. As the others she has to go , and now. Save our children and country from this greedy self serving billionaire.
188
@Elly We knew from the beginning that Ms. DeVos was appointed because she gave a lot of money to the politicians in power. She had a history of downgrading public education, but, in addition, not making sure that private schools were doing what they said they were doing. Trump is not interested in education. For him and others like him "choice" means exploitation.
17
This is one of the most tragic articles I have ever read in my 60 years of reading The Times. I gained my undergraduate degree from a US federal service academy. My first of four postgraduate degrees was financed by the GI bill in the late 1960s. I remain thankful to the taxpayers of the United States for their generosity.
In reading this article, I am reminded that the core of any democracy is a well-educated electorate. Thus this fraud is one that will continue to pay dividends to those who commit it.
The Times is to be commended for shedding light upon this theft of veterans' futures. Veterans deserve better. Times readers should ensure they get it.
340
@Frank
You posted: "In reading this article, I am reminded that the core of any democracy is a well-educated electorate."
You are absolutely correct. But the POtuS that now occupies the White House, along with DeVos don't see it that way.
Remember that trump stated: "I love the uneducated." DeVos is seeing to it that he gets more and more people to "love."
59
@angfil agree. And the uneducated aren't even insulted when he flings out these demeaning remarks.
20
I might be partially responsible for the decertification of ACICS (long story). It looks to me like even the regional accreditation agencies (which were once paragons of virtue) are slipping into the morass created by for-profit education.
One of the problems is that the accrediting agencies are ultimately responsible for determining institutional eligibility for financial aid - many billions of dollars. Yet, in my experience, ED does not provide oversight as they should. DeVos has intentionally crippled whatever was left in place after years of deliberate inattention.
2
It's interesting this article focused on for profit colleges only - those schools have always been a lightening rod for criticism on questionable advertising and ultra low graduation rates.
However, most people don't realize that not for profit colleges, especially not for profit community colleges have questionable marketing methods (to GIs) and graduation rates as low as their for profit competitors.
I don't know why Mr. Schmeling didn't mention it's estimated only 15% of full time students receiving GI money graduated with a 2 year degree last year who had been enrolled at lest two years. The national average 3 year community college graduation rates are only 23% for full time and 12% for part time.
Taking the author's point one step further - how can you require any college, for profit or not for profit, to be able to prove their graduates can find employment. It's not possible.
The 90/10 rule may be allowing more abuse to take place and should be reviewed by Congress.
However, my concern, is not necessarily with the GI's issues, but the millions of students taking out student loans who won't be able to pay them back.
Veterans are getting grants which are not repaid - there are approximately 500,000 veterans enrolled in college - there are 44 million Americans - mostly young people -who owe $1.5 trillion dollars.
I feel for the veterans and the issues they have - but we've got more serious issues with government's education policy.
4
I have worked at a community college for many years. We operate under intense public scrutiny and our tuition is a fraction of the cost of most for private schools.
4
Simply stated, it's way past time for De Vos and the rest of Trump's enablers to be called to responsibility for their atrocious behavior ranging from unpatriotic through irresponsible to criminal. Sadly, there are too many moving parts to take to task all those who should be, but we have to start somewhere, and De Vos is as good a place as any. It is time to aggressively unwind trumpism before it causes further and probably permanent damage to our country and its citizens.
16
Finding and abetting this "90/10 loophole" is just one more example of how the U.S. Department of Education has been looking for ways to help corporate America profit off the public dime....it all started with George Bush's "No Child Left Behind". Some of his wealthy donors made a pretty penny on textbooks, tests, and the like - causing great harm to public education. Obama's "Race to the Top" was the same sort of nonsense. His Secretary of Education favored charter school, whose funding cuts into already poorly financed public schools.. And now this from Mrs. DeVos. Sorry to say it but Congress deserves its lousy ratings from the American public. No matter so many don't bother to vote.
8
Shameful treatment of veterans who end up trying to get an education and get little useful in return (and huge debt). Why, however, would we imagine DeVos cares about veterans, when her brother ( remember Eric Prince and his mercenaries in Iran killing unarmed civilians?) certainly didn’t care about American members of the Armed Services.
As for other students: And of course DeVos cares only about these for-profit schools, which add to her wealth— not much of a surprise in this administration.
She is laughing at America all the way to the bank.
So: She can’t leave soon enough to help restore people’s faith in a reinvigorated public education in this country.
24
@Kathy
DeVos and Prince care about veterans to the extent they can make money off them. And that's the limit of their concern.
Real education is an investment in the future of the country and it returns material gains. It's not an expense...it is an investment.
Veterans have paid forward on their investment in the United States of America. They should be able to expect that they will be shielded from charlatans and set on a path by caring guides who will help them to achieve the aspirations they set for themselves.
"For profit" educational institutions are very much like the American medical insurance business; they are a scam enabling the well-connected few to harvest profit from an activity which is expensive in and of itself and which can ill-afford a rake-off of precious revenues to feather the nests of persons who add no value to the enterprise.
Echoing Lincoln, it is non-partisan to call out "let us strive on tho finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan..."
Trump and DeVos are reptiles; the United States actually doesn't deserve the loyalty and devotion delivered by its enlisted ranks and junior officers. Americans are all blow and no show when it comes to veterans....they're satisfied with NFL flyovers and a parade. But don't ask them to get up and do anything about creatures like Trump and DeVos...it's too much trouble.
You lose your investment if you don't tend it and build on it.
Yes, I'm a combat veteran have not resigned my commission as an officer in combat arms.
37
As the architect of Michigan's terribly failing charter schools run by for-profit operators - and the sister of Erik Prince, former CEO of Blackwater, infamous after killing 14 Iraqi civilians in a Baghdad square, who had tried to get Trump to bring his mercenaries into Syria and Afghanistan (over the staunch objection of Mattis and McMasters, who are no longer there to object anymore) and has a potentially treasonous alliance with China now in his role with Frontier Services Group ("Critics accuse FSG of potentially helping the Beijing government engage in mass repression of ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims in western Xinjiang and, in the process, advancing the geopolitical agenda of a strategic U.S. competitor" (Bloomberg) - and appointed by the man who defrauded students at his own fake "university" - it's no mystery at all that Betsy DeVos is at the center of these illicit, immoral acts to defraud the bravest among us.
There are no American flags big enough to hide the stain of this administration.
64
Outrageous. And the ink on the other DeVos scandal (about student loan servicers, in the same edition) is not even dry. Congress needs to step in immediately.
23
I cannot fathom the minds of people who would do something like this.
13
Isn't it time to look into removing DeVos? She clearly does not understand, or is purposely destroying ,the mission of her department! Of course another high GOP official also ran a fraudulent "University!" We should not hold our breaths!
21
Betsy is certainly in contention for the most incompetent, unqualified and corrupt cabinet member in the “drain the swamp” cabinet. It’s quite a competition - a confederacy of dunces who try to destroy the agencies they lead.
When will this national nightmare be over?
27
Betsy DeVos is a perfect Trump appointment! She is destroying American education from her position. Money and profits are what matter to Betsy, not students, not veterans, not quality of education. Propping up horrible for profit schools who bilk the students who want to learn using taxpayer money is Betsy's idea of excellence. How is this possible?
15
How many ways can I sat this - Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Ecucation - does not, I repeat, does NOT even have a college degree in education!
How can this be?
Her position is an insult to education, an insult to those trying to obtain an education, an insult to those who have gone to college to receive an education in education.
Of all of Trump’s appointees, DeVos is the most outrageous. You would think a Secretary of Education would go to bat for students - no matter what phase of education. But not Betsy. She encourages public school funding decreases by her desire to privatize to religious classrooms, basically. As stated in this article, she has no cares about what students can afford - after all she obviously caters to those who can well afford college tuition and she tries to just rip off everyone else with her untoward schemes.
Bad enough for Trump’s schemes to give corporate breaks while giving no breaks to the working class adult. But to take advantage of those who want an education and need to be able to afford it, Trump hands the US an education traitor - Betsy DeVos. Despicable. Making America Poor and Uneducated the DeVos Way.
40
She's just another typical Evangelical who tries to perpetuate her distorted worldview. I know a whole bunch of them applauding her work.
3
@MIMA A serious, credentialed person would be the wrong person for this job, under this administration. Its sole goals are theft and treason.
3
Trump hires only the best ---- for corruption. DeVos is just another example of the corruption that is expected of all Trump appointments.
17
Come to Grand Rapids where i live and you will find many people just like Betsy DeVoss who are clannish, holier than thou sort of people. They do not make nice neighbors. And check out Betsy DeVoss's "cottage" in Grand Haven, on Lake Michigan. There it sits, for all of us to see, almost as big as God or so she would like to think.
14
More pillagery politics from Trump's smash and grab administration. What I find particularly abhorrent is De Vos's audacious claim to be a Christian. There is nothing Christ-like or of Christ behind the motivations of this White House--it truly is a rogue's gallery.
19
How is it that Betsy DeVos and many other corrupt Trump administration figures (are there any other kind?) are not yet in jail? How the Republican majority senate can tolerate this is beyond understanding. At long last, have they all sold their souls?
19
@Larry Bennett, of course they have. When anything of importance happens, a few talk the talk but then join all the others in collapsing like a house of cards under the malevolent misdirection of Trump, McConnell and the other traitors to their oaths of office. It happens every time and it won't change until We the People rise up and make it change, whether at the ballot box, in court or by civil demonstrations with enough vehemence to force the miscreants to take notice.
4
As the mother of 3 public school teachers, this woman makes my blood boil. Is there nothing that can be done to stop her? Is there no oversight of these blatantly corrupt Trump appointees? They are stealing taxpayer money by the millions and seem to be getting away with it.
29
I’m confused - doesn’t Donald Trump always profess support for the military?
7
The Trump administration’s flagrant exploitation and abuse of both active duty military and veterans alike is an offense that would be unimaginable under any previous President I can recall. It is Infathomable that the “values” folks remain as ardent supporters of naked graft and corruption.
9
Betsy Prince (De Vos) like her brother is a war profiteer. Soldiers are profit centers.
27
"I have decided to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right. We do expect something in return. "
Betsy DeVos
Who is she serving?
13
Ms. DeVos was confirmed for Education Secretary by only one vote, I believe. Clearly, her confirmation was a huge error. Her desire for this position clearly had to do with her desire to destroy public education, place students in for profit schools of all kinds and line her own pockets. (No proof of that but actions do speak loudly.) Of all the Cabinet Secretaries, she is the one who should have been fired first. Since the faux President knows little about education, having done as little as possible to get through school himself, he is certainly no judge of her ability to lead this very important department.
If Congress has a procedure for ousting Cabinet Secretaries, they need to use it now and remove Ms. DeVos from office.
30
"Education" and "For Profit" should be mutually exclusive categories. Our competition to lead the world through the 21st century comes from those countries that have affordable higher education. In some of them, graduate students are paid to do a doctorate. In 40 of our states, the highest-paid state employee is a university football, basketball or hockey coach. The problems of the 21st century will not be solved on playing fields, or in for-profit institutions. They will be solved in classrooms and laboratories accessible to all, regardless of wealth. Mrs. DeVos will not be part of the solution; she has no idea of what "higher education" entails. Her only criterion for utility is the measure of wealth accruing to her predator class.
62
Thanks so much for this article, I hadn't seen much, if anything, in the media on this subject. It seems amazing to me that scam would be propagated by the Republicans, aren't they the party that supports increasing the military budget, and is supported by the service members in return ?
19
The Republicans waive the flag, claim to honor veterans then they stab them in the back. All the while attacking the Democrats as being anti-veteran and un-American.. Republicans have no shame, morals or ethics.
465
@Jeff
The last lion of Veteran protection fell with the death of John McCain. The Republicans are all talk with political power more important than truth. The Veterans Department is being run from Palm Beach, and yet, most veterans I see in Florida support Trump.
18
@Jeff, the typo in your comment, "waive the flag," is actually the spot-on truth. They have passed on our country in pursuit of the only ideal they recognize: profit at any cost. Any or all of us are either potential profit centers or collateral damage.
24
Though Trump says he loves the military, no member of his family would stoop to actually serving. Soldiers, to him, are just convenient pawns.
The same is true of most members of Congress. There was a time when military service was practically a prerequisite for getting elected to Congress. Now veteran congressmen and women are rare, and mostly Democrats. The Republicans love to send other people’s children to war, but not their own.
29
If even 10% of the allegations of fraud, deception, racketeering to protect for-profit schools with which De Voss has long been associated, and corruption are even possibly true, could someone explain to me why some veterans groups, education groups, nonprofit organizations, States Attorney Generals, or the Center for Constitutional Law in New York are not suing the Secretary under the RICO statues? I don’t get it.
235
Most military bases have education centers that give office space to for-profit colleges like the University of Phoenix. The presence of personnel attached to these businesses on base, who make it extremely convenient to register service-members for classes legitimizes them as trustworthy. GI Bill benefits are not only used by veterans, they are often used by active duty service-members (many of whom are) looking for a fast, convenient, and easy way to earn credit. The problem goes beyond DaVos...but she truly is a nightmare nonetheless.
193
Perhaps veterans organizations should take on the task of educating veterans on how best to leverage their benefits. They could publish lists of for-profit and not-for-profit schools that provide the best outcomes for the best value.
It seems to me that the 90/10 rule as it stands gives veterans a deserved jump in the line to get into any of these schools.
39
@SSS
Did you bother to read the article? Almost half of these worthless diploma mills wouldn’t even exist without the money from veterans.
They only want “juicy” vets they can milk. They’re money-making scams, and the indescribably inept and corrupt DeVos stands solidly behind them.
2
While for-profit colleges need to be help accountable they only serve about 7% of all college students. Community colleges served over 45%.
The cost of community college tuition can run in the $4,000 - $8,000 range per year. the actual cost is about an additional $7,000 each year, the money state and local governments give colleges each year to fund their annual losses.
The amount of state and local money paid each year to public universities to fund their losses is over $80 billion each year. These dollars are not available to for-profit colleges. When it is all added together, the Delta Cost Project estimates that the average cost of each 2-year community college degree granted is over $45,000 per student graduated. In the case of California it is over $65,00 per degree granted.
I really don't see our politicians trying to improve the outcomes or control the cost to taxpayers of the community college system, which is a much bigger economic and social issue than they make the for-profits out to be. So keep demonizing the for-profits, so you can make believe community college is always cheap and a good value. Like everything else there are great community colleges and some that are not.
P.S. I wholly support the public university system. I just think we need to do an apples to apples comparison to truly evaluate the facts.
13
@epmeehan
You have given me a fresh perspective that invites fresh thought and more research. Thank you.
6
@epmeehan I suggest you do some research into American Institutes for Research (AIR), which is responsible for the Delta Cost Project, and particularly this project. According to Inside Higher Ed "The flaw in Delta's approach mostly affects public institutions. Ozan Jaquette, assistant professor of educational policy studies and practice at the University of Arizona’s College of Education and one of the paper’s authors, said it’s unwise to use Delta’s data to analyze publics -- or to compare publics to privates." To claim that "When it is all added together, the Delta Cost Project estimates that the average cost of each 2-year community college degree granted is over $45,000 per student graduated. In the case of California it is over $65,00 per degree granted" (your words above) is patently absurd. In addition, the positive economic impact community colleges have is not to be underestimated not only for the community but for students as well, particularly in the technologies and the allied health areas.
As far as the demonization of for-profits is concerned, they have made themselves into demons. How about ITT and Corinthian? Not only did taxpayers fund these 'colleges,' students were left with tens of thousands of dollars in debt for an 'education' they never received. Community college students never incur that kind of debt, unless they got into elsewhere...like perhaps at a for-profit or a private four-year.
8
Along with John Engler, Betsy has decimated Michigan public education, now with Trump she is working on the rest of the country. For profit education, no matter the quality or rather lack of it is her goal.
156
How anyone who considers him/herself patriotic can support this President and his picks for cabinet posts is completely beyond me.
349
@Dagwood
I don't think the 1%ers think of themselves as patrioyic Americans. Like Trump they look out for themselves. They are all that matter to them.
The rest of us are to be bled dry and then tossed into a scrap heap.
Oh well, we'll be doing that to Trump soon and then the next DEMOCRAT Potus will do the same to those greedy 1%ers. * smiles happity at the thought *
6
Well another Trump administrator whose pet project prior to working for this administration was destroying public school education. She destroyed the schools in Michigan and that’s why she and her money were chosen to destroy on a grand scale America education system . One of the democrats running for president has taken a great deal of money from her and then worked at bringing charter schools to minority cities. Unfortunately this is an issue everyone is aware of.
It is up to the American people to get a lawyer to read the small print on education applications realize despite the fact you gave your life for this country and others are entitled to an education the powers to be just wAnt to bleed you dry financially, They don’t care about democracy or Americans.
If you remember Joe Biden said in Germany the other day “this to will pass”.
Education like health care is a right so that America for everyone is a better place. The education department managed by a rich woman is destroying once again the fabric of this country . Her track record of knowing nothing about education is a national emergency and peaks volumes about the direction of elites.
87
Trump through Betsy DeVos has made the Department of Education into a money pipeline for the rich owners of for profit colleges. Trump is trying to do the same for his businesses too. He is just not as efficient as Secretary DeVos is.
167
@jb367
She had experience with the Amway cash generator. All money flows to the top.
Never let it be said she didn’t recognize a good cash fleecing enterprise when she saw one.
10
How can the Republican Congress delay and dither on such an important Bi-partisan and Basic support function for Veterans?
Is protecting rogue and opportunistic private "colleges " worth more than billions of taxpayers money( that is/has and will continue to be wasted ) and the post military success of veteran students who fought for their Country and now are trying to better themselves.
Is the greed and lust for money or protecting those who display it worth the loss to so many, for the benefit of an unscrupulous few?
Is there no new low level that this administration won't stoop to that will endanger the future of so many for the profits to be gained and stolen from the Government and the people who ultimately funded them?
How disgusting.Like so many other destructive initiatives this administration and the Republican lackeys who support it and themselves to the detriment of all and ANY.
121
Isn't it wonderful to have business people running government programs?
382
@Cassandra, If Al Capone were still alive, Trump would have made him Secretary of the Treasury.
46
@Cassandra _ I think we should just privatize everything ! :-)
5
@Cassandra
We exist to only to be of service someone's cash flow and profit.
9
For profit colleges, certificate programs and community colleges draw from the same candidate pool, individuals who have trouble gaining admission to more selective schools.
Their records of student completion, students getting jobs that pay more than they would if they didn't attend post secondary education and default on student loans are indistinguishable.
The Obama Department of Education aggressively attacked for profit schools when their expert analysts reported that for profit schools had a disproportionate amount of federal student loan defaults. Later, their analysts reported that community colleges had identical default rates. They omitted from their reporting that the loans from both for profit and community colleges were small loans relative to the outstanding balances.
Eliminating for profit schools and community colleges will eliminate educational opportunities for the most vulnerable: those educated in inferior public schools.
The best alternative would be for the federal government to get out of the student loan business altogether, because it represents a pool of federal largesse that results in excess inflation.
12
Student debt has now surpassed credit card debt. The best alternative would be do get the predators out of the student loan business along with the 'for profit' schools.
260
Actually, many community colleges have low graduation rates because the methodology counts students who transfer out to a 4 year college as drop-outs, if they don't earn a degree and they count students who do specific courses (say HVAC tech) and leave when they get a job, even if they don't get a degree, as drop-outs.
Once you look at what students who enter community colleges actually do, thrir numbers look better.
88
I know a lot of hiring managers who do not consider candidates from for profit schools. There are plenty of legitimate schools out there that are affordable. I encourage people to start at an affordable community college in-state, many of which provide access to other state schools for those who do well.
69
Back in the 1960s when President Johnson signed the G.I. Bill, I was one of many using it. The interest rate was 3%. I went to college in NYC. I don't remember if there were such monsters like for profit colleges. My loan was paid off in 10 years. The loan was with Citi Bank. Veterans today are treated unfairly by the current administration with someone like Betsy DeVos who does not seem to care.
257
Betsy DeVos has never done an honest hour's work in her life. She was a millionairess when she was a zygote. So why should she care?
25