The final rule unveiled by DeVos boosts the rights of those accused of sexual misconduct, and the administration says it will improve due process on college campuses and in elementary and high schools. DeVos earlier scrapped Obama administration guidance pushing schools to resolve an epidemic of complaints of sexual assault and harassment.

Biden has been accused of sexual assault by Tara Reade, a former staffer in his Senate office. Reade claims that Biden, then a U.S. senator from Delaware, assaulted her in a Senate hallway in 1993. Reade also has said she filed a complaint then with Capitol personnel.

Biden last week made his first public statement denying the allegations, and said he was not aware of any complaint filed against him. He also called for a records search for Reade's complaint, and said it should be released if it exists.

More than 20 women have publicly accused President Donald Trump of sexual misconduct over several decades. Last year, journalist E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s inside a dressing room at a department store. He has denied all the allegations made against him.

In his statement on the DeVos rule, Biden touted his moves to combat sexual assault on college campuses during the Obama administration, including the guidance issued to respond to misconduct on campus and the launch of the “It's On Us” campaign.

“Working with survivors and advocates, we helped to bring this violence out of the shadows and required schools change their practices,” Biden said. “Now, Trump's Education Department — led by Betsy DeVos — is trying to shame and silence survivors, and take away parents' peace of mind.”

“It's wrong,” he continued. “And, it will be put to a quick end in January 2021, because as President, I'll be right where I always have been throughout my career — on the side of survivors, who deserve to have their voices heard, their claims taken seriously and investigated, and their rights upheld.”