On June 18, Democratic presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar has announced several changes she would make to higher ed policy in her first 100 days as president if she were to be elected. Some of these policies include:
• Restoring staffing levels at the Department of Education, particularly the Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Federal Student Aid. Klobuchar claims that reduced staffing in these offices has slowed the processing for borrower defense claims as well as investigations into Title IX violations.
• Restoring and strengthening rules that would allow defrauded students to apply for loan forgiveness. According to Klobuchar, this policy would allow thousands of additional students to receive student debt relief.
• Repealing Title IX regulations proposed under the Trump administration and restoring Obama-era guidance on sexual violence in higher education institutions.
• Enacting a plan for free community college and making changes to Pell Grants, increasing their value and making them easier to use.
• Restoring Obama-era gainful employment rules, which were recently rescinded by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Klobuchar’s proposed changes do not involve either the reduction/elimination of student loan debt (for non-defrauded students) or the elimination of tuition at all public universities, differing from the propositions of fellow Democratic candidates S. Bernie Sanders or S. Elizabeth Warren.
Sources: Inside Higher Ed: Klobuchar Releases Plan for First 100 Days , Medium: Senator Amy Klobuchar Releases Plan of More Than 100 Actions for Her First 100 Days as President