FOIA Request: Records of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) Comments Regarding the “Notice” for the Student Loan Debt Cancellation Program and all Complaints Submitted to OIG Related to the Student Loan Debt Cancellation Program
| Agency | Department of Education |
|---|---|
| Type | FOIA Request |
| Issue | Student Loan Debt Cancellation |
| Tracking | DFI FOIA No. 100-36-22 |
| Date | Dec 2, 2022 |
On October 12, 2022, the Department published a "notice" in the Federal Register ("Action: Waivers and modifications of statutory and regulatory provisions") in its statutory justification indicating its reliance on the HEROES Act's "national emergency" provision to unilaterally enact the massive student loan debt cancellation program. Prior to publication of the notice, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) provided comments on the draft notice regarding a proposed waiver to prevent abuse. DFI, which sent a letter to OIG on October 19, 2022, detailing its concerns regarding the potential for fraud in the student loan debt cancellation program (regarding self-certification of qualifying income), has submitted this FOIA request to obtain OIG's comments on the draft notice and to obtain records of all (whistleblower) complaints submitted to OIG alleging fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, or mismanagement in the student loan debt cancellation program since it was announced on August 24, 2022.
Request Response