After years of careful negotiation, bipartisan agreement, and strong support from 50 veterans service organizations over nearly a decade of advocacy, Congress finally closed the 90/10 loophole. This long-standing policy flaw allowed subpar “colleges” to be completely dependent on taxpayer dollars and incentivized them to target veterans for their GI Bill. Closing the loophole and upholding the integrity of the 90/10 Rule was a victory for common sense, accountability and fiscal responsibility.

Washington rarely works as it should, but this was an exception. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, led by Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy and James Lankford, came together to protect service members and veterans from being blindsided by low-quality programs. Now, some in Congress are trying to undo this achievement; and, worse yet, they’re attempting to sneak this through via the budget reconciliation process.

The numbers speak for themselves. According to the House Budget Committee Republican staff, repealing the 90/10 Rule would cost taxpayers an estimated $1.6 billion over the next 10 years. That’s $1.6 billion that could be used to fix the system, expand job training programs, or go toward deficit reduction. If anything, Congress should strengthen market forces in higher education, ensuring that schools compete based on value and results, not just their ability to soak up federal money.

A real business model relies on private consumers. No successful company relies entirely on government handouts. And, yet, some colleges used to get exactly that — unlimited access to taxpayer dollars, with no accountability for outcomes. That’s not capitalism; that’s corporate welfare. It’s the worst kind of handout, one that subsidizes failing institutions instead of fostering a competitive, high-quality education marketplace.

This problem isn’t theoretical. Predatory institutions have repeatedly collapsed under their own financial mismanagement, leaving veterans and taxpayers to foot the bill. Schools such as ITT Tech and Corinthian Colleges were entirely dependent on taxpayer dollars, unable to attract private revenue. Simultaneously, they aggressively recruited veterans, collected their hard-earned GI Bill dollars, and eventually shuttered without a trace. Veterans were left with worthless degrees, or, in many cases, no degree at all.

The fight to close this loophole took more than a decade. It was driven by veterans advocates who saw firsthand how bad schools gamed the system. They heard from veterans who had been misled by aggressive recruiters, promised job placement that never materialized or steered into programs that weren’t even accredited. In some cases, recruiters even targeted Gold Star families — those who had lost a loved one in service — during their grief support because their survivors’ benefits were guaranteed tuition dollars.

Closing the loophole also garnered full consensus in a Department of Education rulemaking, even with representatives of for-profit colleges supporting the deal. Today’s proposed repeal in the budget reconciliation isn’t about improving education; it’s about making it easier for subpar schools that cannot attract private revenue to access federal money without oversight. That’s it. It’s a money grab, plain and simple.

Congress has tough budget choices to make. Members on both sides of the aisle have called for cutting wasteful spending, ensuring taxpayer dollars are used effectively and reducing the deficit. Repealing the 90/10 Rule flies in the face of all that. Instead of bending to special interests lobbying for a handout, Congress should be standing firm in favor of their bipartisan solutions.

Veterans deserve a real education for their hard-earned GI Bill benefits — one that prepares them for the workforce, helps them build careers and sets them up for long-term success. If a private company is unable to attract a single dollar of private revenue, that should be a major red flag.

Lawmakers should oppose costly handouts to subpar schools especially in a time when Washington is looking to cut costs. Congress got it right the first time. Congress can save an easy $1.6 billion and should leave the 90/10 Rule alone.

William Hubbard, a Marine Corps veteran with overseas service in Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Afghanistan, is the vice president for Veterans & Military Policy at Veterans Education Success, which has a stated mission of working on a bipartisan basis to advance higher education success for veterans, service members and military families, and protecting the integrity and promise of the GI Bill and other federal postsecondary education programs.