It was just this weekend that Bernie Sanders was given Three Pinnocchios from the Washington Post fact checkers for lying about Clinton’s donors. Now Pulitzer-Prize winning POLITIFACT has investigated Sanders’ promise to provide free tuition to public colleges and universities and found his claims to be MOSTLY FALSE.
Sanders says that his plan to make public colleges free would be paid for by a tax on Wall Street speculation. POLITIFACT found that claim to be a partial-truth at best:
Sanders’ assertion that the Wall Street speculation tax pays for his college tuition plan is only part of the story. Two-thirds, to be exact.
Sanders estimates that his plan to make undergraduate tuition at public colleges and universities free would cost about $75 Billion annually. Based on his proposed College For All Act the federal government would fund two-thirds of that cost using a tax on Wall Street trading, but participating states would have to kick in the remaining costs.
Wait...what? State have to choose to participate? That’s right. Bernie’s plan for free college tuition depends on the cooperation of the same Republican governors who turned down the Medicaid expansion to approve and provide funding. If Scott Walker and Rick Scott won’t help, nobody in their states will get free tuition. Of course even getting to that stage would require the cooperation of Republicans in the U.S. congress. And with Bernie’s disinterest for supporting down-ballot Democratic candidates, prospective students shouldn’t hold their breath.
As President, Hillary Clinton will fight to enact her New College Compact. And she is dedicated to helping Democratic candidates win alongside her in November. So we’ll actually have the opportunity to make this happen.
Learn about her plan.
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Students should never have to borrow to pay for tuition, books, and fees to attend a four-year public college in their state under the New College Compact. Pell Grants are not included in the calculation of no-debt-tuition, so Pell recipients will be able to use their grants fully for living expenses. Students at community college will receive free tuition.
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Students will do their part by contributing their earnings from working 10 hours a week.
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Families will do their part by making an affordable and realistic family contribution.
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The federal government will make a major investment in the New College Compact by providing grants to states that commit to these goals, and by cutting interest rates on loans.
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States will have to step up and meet their obligation to invest in higher education by maintaining current levels of higher education funding and reinvesting over time.
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Colleges and universities will be accountable for improving outcomes and controlling costs to ensure that tuition is affordable and that students who invest in college leave with a degree.
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We will encourage innovators who design imaginative new ways of providing a valuable college education to students—while cracking down on abusive practices that burden students with debt without value.
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A $25 billion fund will support HBCUs, HSIs, and other MSIs serving a high percentage of Pell Grant recipients to help lower the cost of attendance and improve student outcomes at low-cost, modest-endowment nonprofit private schools.
Vote Hillary!!