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First Lady Jill Biden has admitted she is “disappointed” that an initiative she touted a year ago as a must-pass initiative is “no longer a part of” her husband’s “Build Back Better” legislation.
Last year, Jill Biden told the Community College National Legislative Summit it was imperative to pass a measure contained within Joe Biden’s bill that provided free community college.
“We have to get this done. And we have to do it now. That’s why we’re going to make sure that everyone has access to free community college and training programs,” she said then.
When she addressed the same group on Monday, she was forced to admit that the initiative had been stricken from the larger BBB legislation.
“Joe has also had to make compromises,” Biden said of her husband’s $2.2 trillion spending plan.
“Congress hasn’t passed the Build Back Better agenda — yet. And free community college is no longer a part of that package,” she noted.
CNN added:
Biden, a longtime educator currently working as an English professor at a Northern Virginia community college, has for the last several years pushed for the inclusion of two years of free community college for eligible students as part of then-candidate Joe Biden’s campaign platform and then as part of the Biden administration’s legislative agenda. Her remarks Monday signaled the defeat of that legislative goal, one of her primary initiatives as first lady.
The President’s Build Back Better plan has faced an uphill battle inside Congress, involving intense negotiations after receiving significant pushback from key Senate Democrats, notably centrists Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona.
The original Build Back Better bill included $45.5 billion for states to offer two years of free community college tuition for a period of five years. However, in a news conference last month, President Biden told reporters he was worried that component of his spending plan would not make the final cut.
“There’s two really big components that I feel strongly about that I’m not sure I can get in the package,” he said. “One is the child care tax credit, and the other is help for the cost of community colleges.”
During her Monday address, Jill Biden compared negotiations regarding legislation to a sporting event.
“Too often, we treat what happens in our nation’s capital like a sports game too — wondering which team will score the most points with voters. Legislation becomes a football to keep away from the other side, and Americans get lost in the playbook,” she said. “Governing isn’t a game.”
Nevertheless, she went on to sound an optimistic tone.
“We knew this wouldn’t be easy — Joe has always said that. Still, like you, I was disappointed,” she said. “Because, like you, these aren’t just bills or budgets to me, to you, right? We know what they mean for real people, for our students.”
“Joe doesn’t quit. He doesn’t give up. He is keeping his promise to rebuild our middle class and he knows that community colleges do just that,” Jill Biden added, to applause.
All said, however, it’s not at all clear that any aspect of the overall BBB legislation is on the table.
Last week during a hasty interview, the West Virginia Democrat declared the bill “dead.”
“What Build Back Better bill? I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” Manchin replied when he was asked about whether there had been any talks on the matter since December. “No, no, no, no. It’s dead.”
Sen. Joe Manchin, asked about Build Back Better, said: “What Build Back Better bill? I don’t know what you guys are talking about.”
I asked him if he’s had any talks on the matter since December. “No, no, no, no. It’s dead.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 1, 2022
