The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)

Biden plan: Free community college

Democratic presidenti­al candidate also wants expanded loan programs

- By Bill Barrow The Associated Press

Democratic presidenti­al candidate Joe Biden wants to make community and technical college free and federal college loan programs more generous as he shifts leftward but not as far as his 2020 rivals.

The former vice president’s $750 billion higher education plan represents a major expansion of the federal government’s role in educating Americans beyond high school. But Biden’s pitch Tuesday is not as sweeping as proposals from his more progressiv­e rivals Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, both of whom offer plans exceeding the $1 trillion mark.

The competing approaches reflect Democrats’ efforts to address spiking tuition costs in the United States and the $1.5 trillion-plus in student debt held by about 45 million Americans. The party’s education policy divide is similar to the gap that separates Biden from the two progressiv­e senators on health care, with the former vice president proposing to expand the federal government’s role in the existing health insurance market, while Warren and Sanders propose a single

payer insurance system that would see the federal government essentiall­y replace private insurance altogether.

Jill Biden, the candidate’s wife and a longtime community college professor, explained her husband’s approach.

“My students inspire me,” she said in a conference call with reporters, “and they ask for one thing in return: opportunit­y.”

The crux of Biden’s higher education plan is a federal-state partnershi­p to cover community college tuition and technical training. Biden calls for the federal government to cover 75 percent of the tuition costs, with states covering the rest. That’s a similar financing concept to the Medicaid insurance program for the poor and the disabled, with states required to cover some costs to qualify for federal money to cover the majority of the program.

Biden proposes that the federal government cover 95 percent of the community college tuition cost at Native Americans’ tribal campuses.

Sanders and Warren propose universal, free access to all undergradu­ate public colleges and universiti­es.

On student debt, Biden’s more limited approach calls for doubling the Pell Grant program for low-income Americans and cutting in half the income percentage caps on student loan repayments. Borrowers now must pay up to 10 percent of their discretion­ary income. Biden calls for capping payments at 5 percent of discretion­ary income, while also delaying payments for anyone making less than $25,000, with the borrower accruing no additional interest.

Biden’s plan would forgive any remaining debt after 20 years of payments and would allow borrowers to get out of their debts as part of personal bankruptcy.

Sanders, conversely, proposes eliminatin­g all student loan debt, while Warren calls for broad debt relief based on income. Warren’s idea would cancel $50,000 in debt for each person with household income under $100,000, with additional proportion­al relief for those making up to $250,000 annually.

Biden and Warren have another noticeable split on for-profit colleges, which have come under scrutiny because their graduates have a much higher default rate on loans as they struggle to find quality jobs. Biden proposes tighter regulation­s on those colleges to stop them “from profiteeri­ng off of students.” Warren calls for banning such businesses from getting federal money altogether.

All three Democratic hopefuls point to proposed tax increases to pay for their spending. Sanders would tax Wall Street transactio­ns. Warren points to her “wealth tax,” 2 cents on every dollar of a household’s net worth beyond $50 million. Biden calls for eliminatin­g certain breaks in inheritanc­e taxes and capping itemized deductions for the wealthiest Americans.

 ?? RINGO H.W. CHIU THE AP ?? Former Vice President and Democratic presidenti­al candidate Joe Biden speaks at the SEIU Unions For All Summit on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in Los Angeles.
RINGO H.W. CHIU THE AP Former Vice President and Democratic presidenti­al candidate Joe Biden speaks at the SEIU Unions For All Summit on Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, in Los Angeles.
 ?? NICK WASS, FILE - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? In this 2010 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, left, with his son Hunter, right, at the Duke-Georgetown NCAA college basketball game in Washington. Since the early days of the United States, leading politician­s have had to contend with awkward problems posed by their family members. Joe Biden is the latest prominent politician to navigate this tricky terrain.
NICK WASS, FILE - THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this 2010 file photo, Vice President Joe Biden, left, with his son Hunter, right, at the Duke-Georgetown NCAA college basketball game in Washington. Since the early days of the United States, leading politician­s have had to contend with awkward problems posed by their family members. Joe Biden is the latest prominent politician to navigate this tricky terrain.

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