(Washington) It was one of his most significant reform plans: Joe Biden abandoned plans to offer two years of free public college to young Americans, his wife, Jill Biden, said Monday. same university professor.
"Free public college is no longer part of the agenda" of reforms the president is struggling to push through the US Congress, Jill Biden, a staunch proponent of the reform, said during a speech in Washington.
Joe Biden, who had promised to devote nearly 1800 billion dollars to social and environmental spending, had included in this unprecedented program two free years of "community college", a very significant reform in a country where studies can be extremely expensive.
But the Democratic president failed to have the entire program adopted by the Senate, due to the reluctance of one elected Democrat in particular. Joe Biden promised to salvage a few snippets of his program, but therefore had to sacrifice others.
“Community colleges” are public establishments offering short cycles of higher education, most often two years.
This education is chargeable. According to the specialized research company “Education Data Initiative”, in 2021 the average cost in the United States of studies in a “community college” was nearly 7,500 dollars for two years.
The bills of the most prestigious private American universities are much higher, resulting in an accumulation of student debt in the United States.
According to Education Data Initiative, student debt today stands at $1.75 trillion, and more than 43 million Americans owe it.
The amount exploded: in 2010, it was 760 billion dollars.
Joe Biden put in place on arriving at the White House a moratorium on student debt, which has been extended several times and which is due to expire on May 1.