Joe Biden is partially embracing progressives' call for free public college tuition, backing a plan to make universities tuition-free for those whose families make less than $125,000 per year.
The former vice president's move, announced by senior aides on a call with reporters hours before his Sunday night debate with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, is Biden's latest olive branch to the left as he attempts to consolidate the party behind him and pivot to a general election against President Donald Trump.
Sanders responded in a statement Sunday evening. "It's great that Joe Biden is now supporting a position that was in the Democratic platform four years ago," the Vermont senator said. "Now we have to go much further. We need to make all public universities, colleges and trade schools tuition-free for everyone like our high schools are. We need to cancel all student debt. And we can fund it with a small tax on Wall Street speculation."
Biden's plan does not address student loan forgiveness. Sanders has called for all student debt to be wiped away, while Warren has called for the elimination of most of it. Biden has said he supports erasing the debt of those who take public service jobs.
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