May, 17 2015, 01:00pm EDT
Sanders to Propose Tuition-Free 4-Year Public Colleges and Universities
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will introduce legislation this week to provide tuition-free higher education for students at 4-year colleges and universities in the United States.
"We live in a highly competitive global economy and, if our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated work force in the world. That will not happen if, every year, hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, and if millions more leave school deeply in debt," Sanders said.
WASHINGTON
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will introduce legislation this week to provide tuition-free higher education for students at 4-year colleges and universities in the United States.
"We live in a highly competitive global economy and, if our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated work force in the world. That will not happen if, every year, hundreds of thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college, and if millions more leave school deeply in debt," Sanders said.
"Countries like Germany, Denmark, Sweden and many more are providing free or inexpensive higher education for their young people. They understand how important it is to be investing in their youth. We should be doing the same."
Sanders' legislation would eliminate undergraduate tuition at public colleges and universities and expand work-study programs. The bill, which he intends to file on Tuesday, also would substantially lower student debt and bring down interest rates on college loans.
"We used to lead the world in the percentage of our people who graduated college. Today we are in 12th place. We used to have great universities tuition free. Today they are unaffordable. I want a more educated work force. I want everybody to be able to get a higher education regardless of their income," the senator said.
Who: U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders
What: News conference on college tuition legislation
When: 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Where: U.S. Capitol "Senate Swamp" on Northeast Lawn. (Rain location: Capitol Room S115)
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