GOP lawmakers demand probe into Biden admin’s 'biased' targeting of country's largest Christian university

Republican lawmakers called for the Department of Education's Office of Inspector General (OIG) to review the Biden administration's conduct against the nation's largest Christian university based in Arizona.

"Education Secretary [Miguel] Cardona, basically came out fairly early … publicly indicated that he was going to shut down Grand Canyon University and go in that way. There was Congresswoman [Rosa] DeLauro calling it a predatory school, which it is not," Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital. "They are trying to go after them for allegations which have not really been substantiated yet. So, it's changed to be a real problem that seems to be biased."

In April, Biggs, along with his fellow Arizona GOP Reps. Paul Gosar, Eli Crane, and Debbie Lesko, penned a letter to the OIG to conduct an investigation into the Department of Education's actions concerning Grand Canyon University (GCU). 

"The Biden administration has waged an all-out assault on GCU seemingly because it is the largest Christian university in the country.  This is the latest example of the Biden administration’s weaponization of the federal government," stated Rep. Gosar.

The Department of Education should recognize GCU’s lawful nonprofit status and end the politically motivated actions against the university," he added.

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Their letter states that the department's "actions are a direct result of their well-documented disapproval of successful for-profit colleges and their unexplainable opposition to GCU’s 2018 conversion from for-profit to non-profit, which was supported by the Internal Revenue Service, the Higher Learning Commission, and the State of Arizona."

"Americans should ask why the Biden administration is choosing to ignore the slew of pervasive issues within the American higher education system and is, instead, unjustly slapping a record fine on a faith-based institution," Rep. Crane told Fox News Digital.

Instead, Crane suggested the Biden administration should be focused on anti-Israel protests that are occurring on college campuses across the country, which he called "morally bankrupt."

"They serve as breeding grounds for antisemitism and anti-American hatred, yet this administration is laser-focused on taking down a private Christian school over claims that they were already cleared of in federal court," Crane said. "I’m proud to stand alongside Reps. Biggs, Gosar, and Lesko to stand up for religious freedom and against the Biden administration's targeting of the largest Christian university in the country." 

The Department of Education has launched several investigations into various universities for possible violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

"The Biden administration has a tyrannical track record of targeting institutions and people who do not acquiesce to its radical agenda," Rep. Lesko told Fox News Digital. "This renewed harassment of Grand Canyon University is un-American and unconstitutional. I will continue to stand with the men and women at this fine university as they fight against this tragic encroachment."

During a House Appropriations Committee hearing on April 10, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., asked Cardona how the administration is working to shut down GCU, which she labeled as "a predatory for-profit school." 

"Last year, your Department took action against Grand Canyon University, a predatory for-profit college, over the school’s failure to accurately disclose its cost to students, driving up the true cost for those students requiring for them to pay for continuation courses before they would graduate – scam courses added about $10,000 or more to the cost of education to these kids," DeLauro said.

"Going after predatory schools preying on first generation students. They have flashy marketing materials, but the product is not worth the paper it is printed on. Increased enforcement budget to go after these folks and crack down. Levied largest fine in history against a school that lied about costs and terminated a school from Title IV. We are cracking down not only to shut them down, but to send a message not to prey on students," Cardona responded. 

The Department of Education issued a $37.7 million fine against GCU in November over allegations the university misled students about the cost of its doctoral programs for several years. GCU is appealing the fine. 

A GCU spokesperson told Fox News Digital that they do not expect the appeal hearing to take place until January. 

The fine is much larger than what the Department of Education previously gave to schools like Penn State ($2.4 million) and Michigan State ($4.5 million) for failing to address Jerry Sandusky and Larry Nassar’s crimes, respectively. 

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Rep. Biggs' office told Fox News Digital that they were informed by the OIG that they won't pursue an investigation into the department's actions due to current ongoing litigation. 

The OIG sent a letter to Reps. Gosar, Lesko, Biggs, and Crane April 16 explaining that the OIG "generally does not conduct audit or investigative work where there is an ongoing and significant proceeding or where such work could potentially interfere with that proceeding."

Conservative groups have been sounding the alarm on what they believe is federal government targeting Christian colleges. 

The Goldwater Institute sued the Department of Education in February for "refusing to turn over public records" related to its $37.7 million fine against GCU. They claimed that the records specifically may inform the public about coordination between various federal agencies in what appears to be the "intentional targeting of a successful university based on extraordinarily thin allegations."

The American Principles Project (APP) wrote a letter to Republican lawmakers explaining how the Biden administration targeted not only GCU, but also Christian schools Liberty University and Ashland University. Their letter states that the "Biden Administration has spent more than three years weaponizing the United States government against the American people."

One of the signatories of APP's letter, the president of the Arizona State Senate, told Fox News Digital that there seems to be a "disturbing trend" from the Biden administration and the Department of Justice.

"They're going after people and if they appear to have a bias against Christians and conservatives, it doesn't look like equal treatment before the law," Warren Petersen told Fox News Digital.

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Ashland University, based in Ohio, sued the Department of Education for imposing a $6 million penalty against the university after the department’s investigation.

"On Sept. 23, 2023, Ashland University filed a complaint against the Secretary of the United States Department of Education in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. The complaint seeks judicial review of the Secretary’s decision in a case involving the calculation of federal student aid for Ashland’s incarcerated students," a press release from Ashland stated. 

The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.