Biden said that her husband, President Joe Biden has had to make some compromises to help get his Build Back Better plan passed. As a Community College Prof. Biden understands just how important community college is, and said she was very disappointed that the plan was taken out of the President’s plan. It comes as even more of a shock as a professor. Biden told the same Summit just a year earlier that her husband would fight to keep free community college in his plan.
However, President Biden also said on a much more optimistic note that while they would now break up the package and get what they can, they could “come back and fight for the rest later.” To help with this big cut that will especially be hurting low-income families looking to get their kids an education, President Biden is looking to raise the value of the Pell Grant, something that helps with more than just tuition for students.
As enrollment continues to decline in public two-year colleges all across the country, it is obvious just how important community colleges are, with 41 percent of all undergraduates nationally being enrolled in community colleges. Both Prof. Biden and President Biden have stated that they know how important community college is to our nation, and have said that they will continue to fight for changes.
President Biden stated on a CNN Town Hall that free community college had to get done, and reinforced the fact that even if free community college didn’t get passed in this bill, it still remains a priority for his administration.
But what could this look like for students at Palomar or students that would be coming to Palomar? Well, it means that most likely free community college won’t be starting at Palomar and many other community colleges in the state, at least not yet. With college enrollment dropping so heavily in recent years it shows just how important community college is to the people who can’t attend college for a multitude of reasons or just want something not as intensive.
Democrats have been making very little progress, in getting bills passed through the senate. However, the president said that he will continue to fight for community college. In the coming months, we may see a push to reinstate free community college or we may see those negotiations get brushed over. The only thing that is for sure is that plenty of young Americans could be missing out on great opportunities until a change is made.
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