Free Community College Is Out Of The Spending Bill, Jill Biden Says

A provision in the Build Back Better bill that would have covered the cost of two years of free community college has been withdrawn, first lady Jill Biden said Monday.

Biden, who teaches English at Northern Virginia Community College, made the announcement while speaking at the Community College National Legislative Summit in Washington.

“One year ago, I told this group that Joe, my husband Joe, was going to fight for community colleges,” she said. “But Joe has also had to make compromises. Congress hasn’t passed the Build Back Better legislation yet. And free community college is no longer a part of that package.”

Democrats have struggled to build consensus behind the spending bill, with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) exacting numerous concessions  but still withholding support .

Biden said she was “disappointed” to see the tuition initiative removed, and lamented a lost opportunity to invest in people and their communities.

“These aren’t just bills or budgets to me, to you, right?” she said. “We know what they mean for real people, for our students. And it was a real lesson in human nature that some people just don’t get that.”

She continued: “We’ve seen how entire towns can be transformed when community colleges and private companies work together to train students for jobs that are desperately needed — with skills like manufacturing or modernizing our electrical grid.”