Education Secretary worries Democrats could throw free community college overboard to get Biden's

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

agenda over the line

The future of Democrats' $3.5 trillion social-spending bill is up in the air right now, and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona is worried free community college won't make the cut.

Progressives are adamant about preserving the contents in the bill, like paid family leave, and universal pre-K, but opposition from the more moderate members of their party could put those elements at risk.

"I'm worried that's one of the things that is being looked at to be cut from the Build Back Better agenda," Cardona told Politico in an interview, referring to free community college. "That would be a shame, because we're so close to leveling the playing field for so many students."

-snip-

But moderate Democrats - particularly Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema - aren't comfortable with signing off on that type of new spending. Politico released a document on Thursday that found in July, Manchin detailed his proposals for the social-spending bill to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. He wanted $1.5 trillion as a spending topline, and he said any new spending should be means tested, meaning a threshold would be set for eligibility.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-could-throw-free-community-college-overboard-to-get-bidens-agenda-over-the-line-the-education-secretary-worries/ar-AAP30NN

[onecaliberal]

1. Which average American will be thrown off the help list to save millionaires?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

2. Save millionaires?

One could throw that back and ask why the children of millionaires should get free college.

[Irish_Dem]

4. Rich people don't let us keep social programs unless they get a cut of the action.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Maybe

We means test for a lot of things. Either way community college tuition is a hell of a lot higher than it was when I attended 40+ years ago.

Righties like to say "People should pull themselves up by their bootstraps." Affordable community college was one way this was possible. We need to bring that back whether it's free or subsidized tuition

[Irish_Dem]

13. I read an article here that said means testing is just a ploy to slow everything down.

It takes a long time to set up the bureaucracy to do the means testing, and then a lot of people never know if they are eligible or not.

I think it might be easier to just raise the taxes on the rich and then just make junior college free to all.

I believe that the thinking on medicare was along the same lines. Everyone gets medicare regardless of income.
I read somewhere that FDR did this on purpose. He thought was that if the rich get medicare, Congress would never get rid of it.

[questionseverything]

7. Millionaires aren't sending their kids to community college

[crickets]

9. This, with a dash of "pull up the ladder behind you" selfishness. nt

[onecaliberal]

11. Billionaires are being made to pay actual taxes as pay fors. So yeah, they don't want it.

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. This is one of the programs that could be means tested and still be helpful. Nt

[questionseverything]

8. It really depends on where the cut off is

The child tax credit starts going down at 75 grand per person or 150 grand per couple, that’s reasonable but the cut off for food stamps is way lower and unreasonable

[Baked Potato]

6. I think they should also say - Or two years free trade school. More inclusive.

I’m sure there are a lot of companies needing trades workers.

[aocommunalpunch]

10. Fuck means testing.

I want means taxing. If you’re able to give a little more, based on your wealth, I suppose you’re going to be helping to level the playing field from damn near fucking vertical. Enough of this shit.

[onecaliberal]

12. I'm for that idea.