Free-College Plans a False Promise from Progressives

Throughout this election cycle, progressives have pushed for a two-part solution to the so-called student-debt crisis — and Joe Biden is now on board with their aims.

Biden has called for forgiving student debt — at least $10,000 per borrower — and endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders’s original plan to make public colleges and universities free for families earning below $125,000 a year. Student-debt forgiveness is supposed to atone for past policy sins while free college is supposed to avoid future ones. Here is how Senator Elizabeth Warren describes the two-pronged approach:

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About the Author

Jason Delisle

Jason D. Delisle is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

About the Author

Preston Cooper

Preston Cooper is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

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Throughout this election cycle, progressives have pushed for a two-part solution to the so-called student-debt crisis — and Joe Biden is now on board with their aims.

Biden has called for forgiving student debt — at least $10,000 per borrower — and endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders’s original plan to make public colleges and universities free for families earning below $125,000 a year. Student-debt forgiveness is supposed to atone for past policy sins while free college is supposed to avoid future ones. Here is how Senator Elizabeth Warren describes the two-pronged approach: