ExclusiveThe House Education and Labor Committee is seeking an investigation into whether Education Secretary Miguel Cardona violated the Hatch Act with emails blaming Republicans for the failure of his administration's student loan forgiveness plan.
The committee sent a letter to special counsel Hampton Dellinger on Tuesday about an email Cardona allegedly sent in July 2024 to a “student loan borrower.”
Emails reviewed by Fox News Digital showed the education secretary three times referring to “Republican officeholders” as the reason they are obstructing the Biden administration's efforts on student loan forgiveness.
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Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks to The Associated Press in an interview at the Department of Education offices in Washington, Sept. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
As stated in the committee's letter, the Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits government officials from “using their official power or influence with the intent to interfere with or influence the outcome of an election.” The Republican-led committee argued that Cardona's email was “a message that was likely sent to support Democrats and the Biden-Harris Administration in the November 2024 election.”
The bill was signed by North Carolina Republican Representative Virginia Foxx and Texas Republican Representative Keith Self.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks at the 2022 National and State Teacher of the Year event in the East Room of the White House on April 27, 2022 in Washington. (Susan Walsh)
“In recent weeks, several federal courts have ruled in lawsuits brought by Republican elected officials who are siding with special interests to block Americans from receiving the benefits of the Savings on a Valuable Education Plan (SAVE), the most affordable student loan repayment plan in history,” Cardona wrote in a July email.
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Cardona added that the Biden administration will continue to fight for student loan debt relief “no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to block it.”
Rep. Virginia Foxx, RN.C. leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club, May 17, 2022, in Washington. (Bill Clark)
“While we oppose efforts by Republican elected officials to side with special interests and prevent borrowers from affording their student loan repayments, President Biden and our Administration will not stop fighting to ensure Americans have affordable access to the life-changing opportunities that higher education can provide,” he wrote.
The letter also referenced a press release issued by Cardona's office on July 19. Federal Court of Appeals decision The bill that blocked President Biden's student loan debt relief plan. The bill was created because “politically motivated lawsuits brought by Republican elected officials have been filed against them.” “This is again preventing payment relief for millions of borrowers.”
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Attempts to reach the Department of Education for comment were unsuccessful.
