“The agency does oversee student loan programmes and administers Pell grants that help low-income students attend university. It also helps fund programmes to support students with disabilities and for students living in poverty. And the department enforces civil rights law designed to prevent race or sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools.”

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“The Education Department also manages the $1.6 trillion federal student loan program, investigates discrimination, and provides research and data on how US students are performing.”

Analysis: Trump has the US government in retreat from education | CNN Politics

“And then the department spends even more on higher education through Pell Grants and the Federal Student Loan Program. ... A third aspect of the department's role, it carries out through its Office of Civil Rights, which works to ensure that all schools receiving federal funds abide by federal civil rights laws. And then finally, the department has a long standing role in gathering official statistics on education and both conducting and supporting education, research and development.”

Unpacking the U.S. Department of Education: What Does It Actually Do?

“The vast majority of the Department of Education’s budget is devoted to the federal student grant and loan program, which helps students pay for their college education.”

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“Our ongoing cases hold predatory colleges accountable and force the Department of Education to act on behalf of students and stop protecting this insidious industry. The federal student loan portfolio isn't an attractive asset”

Project on Predatory Student Lending