January 9, 2015
For Immediate Release
Contact: Nick Novak, 608-237-7290
nnovak@maciverinstitute.com
“President Obama’s plan to pay for the first two years of community college for every student can be chalked up to a political ploy that serves no other purpose than to pick a fight with congressional Republicans. If the president were sincere about his plan, he would have proposed it when his party controlled congress.
“Instead, President Obama announced his plan days after Republicans took control of the U.S. House and Senate. It is embarrassing that the president would be crass enough to use college students in an obvious stunt, and I expect they will see right through his political games.
“Even if this were not the ruse that it is, there is no way that we the taxpayers can afford it. According to the White House’s own numbers, this plan would cost upwards of $342 billion over the next ten years. More than $85 billion of that would fall to the states.
“The federal government – and therefore taxpayers – is more than $18 trillion in debt, and we are already adding hundreds of billions of dollars to that total every year. We simply cannot afford it.
“This proposal shows the president has no interest in having a real conversation about making higher education more affordable for students. If President Obama changes his mind and wants to have an adult conversation about the ever-increasing costs of college, I am sure federal and state policymakers alike will be happy to listen.”