[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 10, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4759-S4760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Nomination of Robert L. King

  Madam President, I also come to the floor today to oppose the 
nomination of Robert King to be the Department of Education's Assistant 
Secretary for Postsecondary Education. This position is especially 
important because so many of our Nation's students are struggling today 
in higher education.
  Over the last few years, I have heard from students who are worried 
about how they are ever going to afford their textbooks or their rent 
or even their food, who are worried if their college is preparing them 
for a good education and if they are going to be able to get a good-
paying job and pay off their loans.
  First-generation college students are struggling to navigate their 
financial aid and how to succeed on a college campus for the first 
time. I am hearing about those worried about being able to get an 
education without being discriminated against or harassed or assaulted 
on campus. Those are just a snapshot of the issues students are facing 
in higher education today.
  These challenges are not easy to solve. That is why Chairman 
Alexander and I are working now to address all of those issues and more 
in our reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
  As we work to update this critically important law, we cannot ignore 
the current actions of this Department of Education, which is loosening 
and eliminating rules that benefit predatory colleges instead of 
protecting students. Students should have an ally at the Department of 
Education, someone who understands the challenges they are facing and 
is committed to helping students succeed.
  Among other responsibilities, this Assistant Secretary for 
Postsecondary Education is responsible for developing rules, for 
developing a budget and legislative proposals for higher education,

[[Page S4760]]

and overseeing our country's quality assurance system of 
accreditation--a system this Secretary is currently dismantling.
  This position is also responsible for programs that help our low-
income students and first-generation students and students with 
disabilities as they prepare for and try to succeed in college and 
programs that help support minority-serving institutions.
  On these issues specifically, Mr. King's record is particularly 
concerning. Mr. King blamed students for the daunting challenges in 
higher education today, even saying students are making ``bad economic 
choices.'' He also refused to answer questions on whether he believes 
students face systemic barriers in higher education or whether income 
inequality plays a role in a student's ability to earn a degree. There 
are students in higher education who are skipping meals today or living 
in a car. Mr. King would not acknowledge that problem.
  Finally, on an issue that is so important to me and one that is 
imperative to a student's ability to succeed in higher education, Mr. 
King blamed alcohol and bad judgment--not perpetrators--for the 
epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses.
  I don't believe Mr. King has the right understanding of what students 
are facing today to be our Nation's next Assistant Secretary for 
Postsecondary Education. I urge my colleagues who are committed to 
making higher education within reach for all students to join me in 
voting against his nomination.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.