Biden pushes 17 years of free school, asks companies and wealthy to pay
'fair share'
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[May 04, 2021]
By Jeff Mason
NORFOLK, Va. (Reuters) -President Joe Biden
on Monday called on wealthy Americans and corporations to pay their
"fair share" to fund free community college and other benefits for
workers as he promoted his sweeping jobs and safety-net plans in
Virginia.
Speaking at Tidewater Community College in the port city of Norfolk,
Biden said his proposed expansion of the U.S. public education system
would rebalance the economy and benefit lower-income Americans.
The United States could provide two free years of post-secondary
education by raising the top income tax rate to the level it was in
2001, Biden said. He has proposed increasing the top marginal rate for
the wealthiest Americans to 39.6% from 37%.
"The choice is about who the economy serves. And so I plan on giving tax
breaks to the working-class folks and making everybody pay their fair
share," he said.
The Democratic president faces significant opposition from Republicans
to his tax and spending plans, even with his promise that individuals
making less than $400,000 annually will not be affected. Democrats hold
slim majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
Biden has vowed to work with lawmakers from both parties, but no
Republicans voted for his $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package, the
biggest legislative achievement of Biden's presidency so far.
He may have less than two years to fulfill his big campaign promises if
Republicans win control of one or both chambers of Congress in the
November 2022 election.
The president and top administration officials are traveling the country
to stir up enthusiasm for his proposals in the hopes that public support
will translate to Republican votes in Congress.
On Monday, Biden, joined by his wife, community college professor Jill
Biden, reviewed science projects with a class of fifth-grade students at
an elementary school in nearby Yorktown before visiting the community
college. The students had clear shields in front of their desks as a
guard against the coronavirus.
EXPANDING FREE SCHOOLING
The school visits are part of a tour to sell Biden's $2.3 trillion plan
to rebuild roads, broadband and other infrastructure, and a
social-spending package that includes $1 trillion on education and
childcare over 10 years and $800 billion in tax credits aimed at middle-
and low-income families.
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President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden leave Marine One
helicopter to board Air Force One for travel to Virginia from Joint
Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. May 3, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
The second plan would expand America's 13 years of
free public schooling at both ends, adding two years of preschool
for 3-and 4-year olds and two years of community college for those
who have completed high school.
Funded by higher taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans, the
two proposals taken together would amount to the biggest domestic
spending initiative since the 1960s.
"It is paid for by making sure corporate America and the wealthiest
1% pay their fair share," Biden said.
Biden and other advocates promote community college as an
affordable, accessible gateway to a wide range of careers, from
nursing to advanced manufacturing.
During the United States' industrial heyday in the 20th century,
workers could easily find factory jobs that paid a middle-class wage
with only a high school degree or less.
But globalization and automation have spurred employers to demand a
higher level of skills, including deeper technical knowledge and
broader critical-thinking abilities, according to Georgetown
University's Center on Education and the Workforce.
Now, two out of three U.S. jobs require some sort of education or
training beyond high school.
Community colleges typically provide two years of education, leading
to either an associate's degree or a start on a four-year college
degree.
Roughly 11.8 million students were enrolled in 1,044 U.S. community
colleges in 2019, according to the American Association of Community
Colleges. Tuition averaged $3,770 a year, about one-third of the
cost of a four-year public college.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Additional reporting by Andy Sullivan,
Merdie Nzanga and Steve Holland; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing
by Heather Timmons, Jonathan Oatis and Peter Cooney)
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