Devos Watch

DeVos Watch 2018 Annual Report

Since joining the U.S. Senate, Senator Elizabeth Warren has made strong oversight of the U.S. Education Department's student loan program a top priority. With Secretary Betsy DeVos now leading the Education Department, effective oversight is more important than ever. In her first year on the job, Secretary DeVos has taken a series of steps that undermine protections for students and taxpayers. To ensure that the Education Department acts in the public interest, Congress and the public must demand accountability.

Read the first DeVos Watch Annual Report compiled by the offices of Senator Warren and Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-Mass.). The 17-page report finds that Secretary DeVos's major actions during her first year in charge of the U.S. Department of Education has been a boon for for-profit colleges, student loan companies, and advocates of school privatization at the expense of America's K12 and college students. The report reveals that Secretary DeVos's actions have raised serious ethical questions, prioritized for-profit colleges over student borrowers, weakened traditional public education in favor of non-public schools, and reversed civil rights protections for students.

A PDF copy of "DeVos Watch, Year One: Failing America's Students" may be downloaded here.

VIDEO: Senator Elizabeth Warren Explains DeVos Watch and Why We Need It

Read Senator Warren's Op-Ed at CNN.com about the launch of DeVos Watch here.

"Millions of parents and teachers across the country stood by our side to fight against the nomination of Betsy DeVos because we knew how awful her extreme ideological agenda would be for students, borrowers, and schools — and we were very concerned about how her financial entanglements and potential conflicts of interest would impact the Department of Education. When Secretary DeVos was confirmed, we committed to holding her accountable and making sure she couldn't get away with undermining students, higher education, or public schools in the shadows or helping big corporations or special interest groups without scrutiny — so I am so glad that Senator Warren is continuing this effort and doubling down on the critical DeVos Watch work." — Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

DeVos Watch Oversight Actions

May 24	Warren Joins Murray, Senators in Denouncing Move by Secretary DeVos to End Investigations and Office Responsible for Protecting Students from Predatory Colleges [Press Release]
May 24	Warren, Senators Press DeVos for Answers Following Decision to Restore Recognition of For-Profit Accreditor ACICS [Press Release]
April 30	Warren Joins Donnelly, Colleagues Call for Department of Education to Assist Students Harmed by Closure of ITT Tech [Press Release]
April 30	Warren, Blumenthal, Colleagues Raise Concerns Over For-Profit College Industry Lobbyist’s “Oversight” Role at the Department of Education [Press Release]
March 15	Warren, Colleagues Call for Top DeVos Adviser's Recusal from Decisions on For-Profit Colleges Owned by Former Employer [Press Release] Response from Department of Education ethics official Marcella Goodridge received May 7 [Response (PDF)]
March 1	Warren releases 2018 DeVos Watch Annual Report [Press Release]
January 25	Warren Questions Education Department Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Nominee Frank T. Brogan [Video] Responses to Questions for the Record from Brogan received March 5 [Responses (PDF)]
January 24	Warren, Harris, Colleagues Raise Concerns Over Private Debt Collectors in Higher Education [Press Release]
January 4	Warren Questions Federal Student Aid Chief on Student Loan Servicing and Borrower Protection [Press Release]
January 2	Warren Calls for Inspectors General Review of Education Department's Potential Misuse of Social Security Data to Limit Relief for Defrauded Students [Press Release] Response from Social Security Administration Inspector General received January 30 [Response (PDF)] Documents related to this request [PDF]
December 13	Warren, Murray, Senators Demand Department of Education Continue Work of the Enforcement Unit, which protects students from fraudulent schools [Press Release] Response from ED received May 4, 2018 [Letter (PDF)]
December 5	Senator Warren Sends Questions for the Record to Education Department Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Nominee Kenneth Marcus Responses from Marcus received January 4 [Responses (PDF)]
November 15	Senator Warren Sends Questions for the Record to Education Department Nominees James Blew and Brigadier General Mitchell Zais Responses from Mr. Blew and Brigadier General Zais received December 4
November 14	New Report Highlights Betsy DeVos's Failure to Cancel Student Loans of Nearly 90,000 Defrauded Students [Press Release]
October 23	Warren, Bonamici Request SEC Investigation into Potential Insider Trading of Navient Stock [Press Release]
October 4	Senator Warren Asks ED General Counsel Nominee to Submit Substantive Responses to Hearing Questions [Press Release] Response from Mr. Muñiz received October 12 [Letter (PDF)]
August 16	Warren Asks DeVos for Information to Determine if Senior Counselor Eitel Broke the Law [Press Release]
August 1	Warren, Blunt Lead Effort to Benefit Student Borrowers and Taxpayers [Press Release]
August 1	Senator Warren Statement on DeVos' Reversal of Single Loan Servicer Plan [Press Release]
July 27	After Multiple Non-Responses from DeVos, Sen. Warren Asks ED Nominee for Commitment to Reply to Oversight Requests [Press Release]
July 27	Senator Warren Statement on Peter Oppenheim's nomination [Press Release]
June 29	Members of Congress to Secretary DeVos: Stand Up for Students and Families, Reverse Delay of Protections for Defrauded Students [Press Release] Response from ED received August 21 [Letter (PDF)]
June 12	Murray, Warren, Scott, Bonamici Urge Secretary DeVos to Protect Students, Reverse Student Loan Decisions [Press Release]
June 8	Warren, Murray, Brown and Durbin Question Secretary DeVos About Possible Delays in ED's Borrower Defense Regulation [Letter (PDF)]
June 5	Warren Urges HELP Committee to Hold Hearing, Following Abrupt Resignation of Office of Federal Student Aid Chief [Press Release]
May 23	Warren, Murray Raise Concerns about Potential Ethics Violations by Education Dept. Advisor Eitel [Press Release]
April 26	Murray, Warren, Scott, Bonamici Urge Secretary DeVos to Reinstate Student Loan Protections [Press Release]
March 31	Murray, Warren Question Department of Education Official's Ties, Conflicts of Interest with For-Profit College Chain [Press Release] Response from ED received May 8 [Letter (PDF)]
March 17	Warren Questions DeVos About the Hiring of Robert Eitel and Taylor Hansen [Letter (PDF)]
March 14	Durbin, Murray, Warren Lead Group Of Senators Calling On Education Department To Explain Delay Of Gainful Employment Rule [Press Release] Response from ED received May 31 [Letter (PDF)]
March 14	Warren, Bonamici Urge Administration to Protect Student Loan Borrowers from Unnecessary Fees [Press Release]
March 7	Warren, Sanders, Casey, Baldwin, Franken, Hassan and Murphy Ask Alexander for HELP Committee Hearings on Education Department Nominees [Press Release]
February 23	Following Reports Jerry Falwell Jr. to Lead Presidential Task Force, Senate Dems Call On Education Secretary DeVos to Guard Against Potential Conflicts of Interest [Press Release] Response from ED received May 31 [Letter (PDF)]
January 30	Sen. Warren Receives Responses from Nominee Betsy DeVos's to her Questions for the Record During the Confirmation Process [Responses (PDF)]
January 27	HELP Committee Members Raise Fresh Concerns About Education Secretary-Designate Betsy DeVos's Conflicts of Interest in Higher Education [Press Release]
January 9	Sen. Warren Raises Concerns about ED Secretary-Designate's Experience, Positions, and Priorities [Press Release]
January 5	HELP Committee Members Request Details of DeVos's Connections to Dark Money Groups [Press Release]

Resources for Students and Families

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB): The CFPB has handled over 1 million complaints, helping students get direct responses about problems with student loans, debt collection, credit reports, and other financial products. If you have a complaint about your loan servicers — the company that administers your student loan — or about a student loan debt collector, you may wish to submit a complaint to the CFPB.

Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General: If you live in Massachusetts and you are having trouble paying your student loans or experiencing difficulty with your student loan servicer, then Attorney General Maura Healey’s Office may also be able to help. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Insurance & Financial Services Division provides a hotline, 1-888-830-6277 for Massachusetts residents, and free mediation service to Massachusetts borrowers who are having difficulties with student loans. More information is available here.

Individuals from other states may wish to contact their Attorney General's office regarding direct assistance that is offered to student borrowers. A directory of state attorneys general is available here.

Whistleblower Tip Email

Senator Warren has established a whistleblower tip email for individuals who want to share information with Senator Warren and her staff that could provide insight into whether or not the Education Department's actions are legal and ethical, and whether they honor the trust that students and taxpayer put in the Department. The form to submit a whistleblower tip is available here.