President Obama signed an executive order Friday that will offer protections to veterans against colleges attempting to “swindle and hoodwink” and engage in deceptive marketing practices.
Speaking to a large crowd soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia, with first lady Michelle Obama at his side, Obama signed the order, which seeks to prevent colleges from taking advantage of veterans who received military education benefits.
“As some of your comrades have discovered, sometimes you’re dealing with folks who aren’t interested in helping you,” Obama said. “They’re not interested in helping you find the best program, they are interested in getting the money. They don’t care about you. They care about the cash. That’s appalling. That’s disgraceful. That should never happen in America.
“They're trying to swindle and hoodwink you,” he continued. “And today at Ft. Stewart, we're going to put an end to it."
The order would instruct the Department of Veterans Affairs to trademark the term “GI Bill” so that external websites are not fraudulently marketing educational services and benefits.
It would also require the Pentagon to set rules for how schools are granted access to military bases to recruit students.
For more on Obama's remarks, click here.
