Colleges and universities that are shutting down in the wake of the nationwide coronavirus emergency should refund the money their students have spent on room and board since they're being forced out of their dormitories, Rep. Lance Gooden said Friday.
"Some are doing the right thing," the Texas Republican said on Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "Some haven't made up their minds. My hope is they will do the right thing and congressional action is not necessary. If you pay for room and board and you are being kicked out of your dorm it only makes sense that you would get that money back."
He added that hotels often refund deposits, but schools are "kicking students out" and telling them they are on their own, so they need to be refunding these room and board costs.
Students, he added, are "easy to take advantage of," as they often don't vote and they don't have lobbyists working for them, so they need Congress to stand up for them.
Most major colleges and universities have moved to offering online classes only for because of the epidemic, including the University of Washington, Ohio State University, Harvard University, Hofstra University, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, and Princeton University.
"These past few weeks have been a powerful reminder of just how connected we are to one another — and how our choices today determine our options tomorrow," Harvard's president, Lawrence S. Bacow, said in an announcement earlier this week.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.