EXCLUSIVE: House Education and Workforce Committee Calls for Investigation Minister of Education Miguel Cardona violated the Hatch Act by sending an email blaming Republicans for the failure of the administration's student loan forgiveness plan.
On Tuesday, the committee sent a letter to Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger citing a July 2024 email from Cardona that was reportedly sent to “student loan borrowers.”
An email reviewed by Fox News Digital showed the education secretary three times citing “Republican elected officials” as the reason for the obstacles to Biden administration efforts to pay off student loans.
KAMALA HARRIS, TIM WALTZ, BACKED BY TEACHER UNIONS, GET FAILING RATING FROM SCHOOL CHOICE PANEL
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks to The Associated Press in his office at the Education Department on Sept. 20, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
As the committee's letter points out, the Hatch Act is a federal law that prohibits government officials from using their “official authority or influence to interfere with or influence the outcome of an election.” The Republican-led committee said Cardona's email was “a message that appears to have been sent to assist the Democratic Party and the Biden-Harris administration in the November 2024 election.”
It was signed by Republican Reps. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Keith Self of Texas.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks at the 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, April 27, 2022. (Susan Walsh)
“In recent weeks, several federal courts have ruled on lawsuits filed by Republican elected officials who support special interests and seek to prevent Americans from taking full advantage of the most affordable student loan repayment plan in history, SAVE (Savings for Valuable Education Plan),” Cardona said in a July email.
'HE IGNORED US': LOCAL MINNESOTA SCHOOL MANAGER UPSET BY WALTZ'S 'NEGATIVE IMPACT' ON K-12 EDUCATION
Cardona added that the Biden administration will continue to fight for student debt forgiveness, “no matter how many times Republican elected officials try to stop us.”
Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, May 17, 2022. (Bill Clark)
“While we disagree with Republican elected officials’ efforts to side with special interests and deny borrowers the opportunity to get a break on their student loans, President Biden and our administration will not stop fighting to ensure Americans have access to the life-changing opportunities that higher education can provide,” he wrote.
The letter also references a July 19 press release issued by Cardona's office after Federal Appeals Court decision which blocked President Biden's student loan plan. It said, in part: “It is shameful that politically motivated lawsuits brought by Republican elected officials are once again preventing millions of borrowers from reducing their payments.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Attempts to contact the Ministry of Education for comment were unsuccessful.