February 2, 2011 2:06PM 

# For-profits Fighting Back, Harkin to Flog-on 

By [Neal McCluskey](https://www.cato.org/people/neal-mccluskey) 

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Last week, Sen. Tom Harkin (D‑Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Comittee, announced that [on February 17](http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/02/02/durbin_blasts_for_profit_colleges_u_s_affirms_5_500_pell_grant_no_earmarks) he will continue his [obssessive attack ](https://www.cato.org/i-thought-higher-education-was-about-pursuing-truth/)on for-profit colleges, holding yet another hearing to determine just how evil profit-seekers are. At least, that is what will presumably be discussed — the specific subject of the hearing is yet to be identified. But the committee actually tackling, say, [rampant waste throughout higher education](https://www.cato.org/pubs/handbook/hb111/hb111-21.pdf) driven by federal student aid, or just giving for-profit schools an [even-handed treatment](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=11982), would be too huge a turnaround to contemplate.

Despite there being no end in sight to Harkin’s seige, for-profit institutions aren’t just rolling over, and today they launched their latest counterattack. This afternoon the Coalition for Educational Success — a for-profit college advocacy group — [filed a lawsuit](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110202006445/en/Coalition-Educational-Success-Files-Suit-GAO-Professional) against the Government Accountability Office. At issue: The GAO’s “secret shopper” report on for-profit institutions that was eventually — but very stealthily — revealed by the GAO to be [riddled with errors](https://www.cato.org/war-on-for-profit-colleges-reeks-even-worse/), and which could be shown to be an even bigger smear job were the GAO to allow for-profit schools to examine the evidence behind the report.

Clearly there will be more to come on this, if for no other reason than Harkin’s show-hearings have garnered a lot of coverage in the past. Hopefully, this time potentially disturbing behavior by the GAO, as well as the huge problems federal policy has created throughout higher education — you know, the really important stories — will also get a little attention.

##### Related Tags 

[Education](https://www.cato.org/education), [General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Center for Educational Freedom](https://www.cato.org/center-educational-freedom) 

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