Carper Statement on King Confirmation

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement today after the Senate confirmed John B. King to serve as secretary of the Department of Education.

“The Senate has an important duty to confirm well-qualified nominees sent to it by the President of the United States, and throughout consideration of his nomination, John B. King has proven himself to be a skilled and dedicated public servant who is well-suited to take the helm of the Department of Education. The department has a lot of work to accomplish this year, most important being the implementation of the bipartisan education reform package to replace No Child Left Behind, which President Obama signed into law last December. This legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act, reaffirms the federal government’s role in ensuring that states set rigorous academic standards across the board so that our students are truly getting the highest quality education. It also goes a long way toward making good on the promise that no matter their zip code, their race or their economic status, all students have access to an education that prepares them to achieve success in the classroom and go on to meaningful careers.

“I am particularly interested in working with Secretary King to close the 90/10 loophole and to protect military and veteran students from having their hard-earned GI Bill benefits wasted by unscrupulous institutions. Bad actors in for-profit education industry have used the loophole to garner 100 percent of their revenues from taxpayer dollars, while too often delivering poor outcomes for students. We have a responsibility to ensure that active-duty military and veteran students have access to high-quality education and training programs, but we also have a responsibility to ensure they aren’t duped by the schools that recruit them for enrollment. I look forward to collaborating with Secretary King on ways to uphold both of those duties.”