Chairman Miller Requests All Spellings, White House Communications on Student Loan and Reading First Programs

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today asked the White House to turn over emails and other communications related to its involvement in the federal student loan and Reading First programs, including those of U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, who previously served as the President's Domestic Policy Advisor. The committee's ongoing investigations into both programs have revealed serious oversight failures by senior officials.

According to The Washington Post, the Bush administration in 2001 killed a policy proposal drafted by the Clinton administration that would have addressed the questionable gifts and inducements used by lenders to curry favor with colleges and universities. Attorneys general in several states have joined Miller in launching investigations into unethical practices and relationships among schools, lenders, and public officials within the student loan industry.

Miller also made a similar request for information in a letter to the Department of Education today. That letter asked for emails and other communications of former Education Secretary Roderick Paige; former Senior Advisor to Secretary Paige, Beth Ann Bryan; former Deputy Secretary William Hansen; former Under Secretary and Deputy Secretary Eugene Hickok; and present Chief of Staff David Dunn. 

To see Miller's letter to the White House, click here. To see Miller's letter to the Department of Education, click here.

Secretary Spellings is scheduled to testify before the Committee about the Department's oversight of both programs on Thursday, May 10, 2007. 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Kiley / Rachel Racusen
2181 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-226-0853