Biden Says Democrats Unlikely to Fully Fund His Free Community College Plan

President Joe Biden said Friday that his plan for two-years-free community college education will probably not make it into the Democrats’ multi-trillion dollar social spending bill.

Biden, pursuing his presidential campaign promise to make two years of community college tuition-free, called for a 10-year program that would cost $109 billion. The House Democrats, however, are proposing a much smaller program with a $45.5 billion price tag over five years.

When asked during a trip to Connecticut whether he would sign a budget reconciliation package that doesn’t include his proposal, Biden said that his program is unlikely to get fully funded because of the coming cuts to the $3.5 trillion package.

“It’s clear that it’s not going to be $3.5 trillion,” he said in remarks before leaving Connecticut. “So, the question is: How much of what is important do we get into the legislation? I’m of the view that it’s important to establish the principle on a whole range of issues without guaranteeing you get the whole 10 years.”

“I doubt whether we’ll get the entire funding for community colleges, but I’m not going to give up on community colleges as long as I’m president,” he added.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said over ... (Read more)

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