Lawmakers Target Obama Plan On For-profit Colleges

WASHINGTON (AP) - A pair of Washington lawmakers say they will seek to limit federal Education Department spending on an Obama administration plan designed to better track students' academic performance at for-profit colleges.

House Education and Labor Committee Chairman John Kline on Monday filed a spending amendment to prevent the federal agency from enacting "gainful employment" regulations in the for-profit sector starting next year.

The Education Department is finalizing rules that would cut off federal aid to college vocational programs with high student-debt levels and poor loan repayment rates.

Supporters says the plan unfairly singles out for-profits, which serve people who otherwise wouldn't have access to higher education.

Florida Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings joined Kline, a Minnesota Republican, at a Monday press conference. The lawmakers said their proposal has broad bipartisan support.