The top Republicans on the House and Senate education committees are accusing the Department of Education of obstructing a government investigation into the botched rollout of a new Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-Louisiana), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, said the Treasury Department is “unlawfully obstructing” a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into the matter and demanded that the agency “immediately respond” to their records requests.
“GAO is investigating the implementation of FAFSA at our request, but by obstructing it, the Department is impeding our ability to carry out its constitutional oversight responsibilities,” the lawmakers said in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
Lawmakers say the Treasury Department has not provided documents requested by the GAO, hampering efforts to complete the investigation this summer.
Republicans called for the investigation after the rollout of the FAFSA has been delayed multiple times due to issues ranging from technical problems on the site to problems with how the Department of Education calculates student aid. Those problems have led to below-average completion rates for the application and have officials scrambling to get the numbers back on track before the new semester begins.
“It is unacceptable that the Department of State has not complied with GAO’s requests. GAO is part of the Legislature, and by obstructing GAO from carrying out its duties, the Department of State is impeding our efforts to address concerns about the FAFSA and pursue transparency and accountability on behalf of the American people,” the letter read.
Fox and Cassidy have called on Cardona to turn the requested information over to them and the GAO by Friday.
The Hill has reached out to the Department of Education for comment.
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