Democratic attorneys general target Donald Trump’s education secretary over her plan to rewrite Obama-era measures to protect students

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Democratic attorneys general in 18 states and the District of Columbia on Thursday filed a lawsuit against Betsy DeVos, Donald Trump’s controversial choice for education secretary, over her decision to suspend rules meant to protect students from abuses by for-profit colleges.

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Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey, leading the lawsuit, said DeVos’s decision was “a betrayal of her office’s responsibility and a violation of federal law”.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington DC and demands implementation of borrower defense to repayment rules.

The rules were created under Barack Obama’s administration and were meant to take effect on 1 July. They aim to make schools financially responsible for fraud and forbid them from forcing students to resolve complaints outside court.

On 14 June, DeVos announced the rules would be delayed and rewritten, saying they created “a muddled process that’s unfair to students and schools and puts taxpayers on the hook for significant costs”.

In a statement on Thursday, Healey said: “Since day one, Secretary DeVos has sided with for-profit school executives against students and families drowning in unaffordable student loans. Her decision to cancel vital protections for students and taxpayers is a betrayal of her office’s responsibility and a violation of federal law.”

A spokeswoman for DeVos told media the secretary would not immediately comment.