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Baldwin Says Obama Tuition Proposal Will Help Economy

reuters.com-Creative Commons

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin thinks President Obama's plan to make the first two years of community college free will help spur on the economy. But the fate of the idea is unknown in an opposite party majority in the Senate and House.

The proposal would make the first two years of college free and universal like public K-12 education. The federal government would pick up 75 percent and the state 25 percent.

In and interview with WXPR, Baldwin says the proposal is a "win-win" for the state. She says many people post-recession are returning to technical colleges to retool their skills..

"....the way it speaks to young people who might not think that a college education is affordable or accessible to them. Perhaps this has been a generational issue. The idea that we make a commitment to all Americans to try and make that happen is a game changer...."

 Baldwin says this type of education contributes to economic growth...

"...making this commitment beyond the high school degree is important in terms of regaining a robust economy and contributing to economic growth which has been so slow in Wisconsin and our recovery has been too slow in America...."

The proposal is likely to be part of President Obama's State of the Union speech later this month.

Baldwin says the plan also helps reduce the debt burden on young people, and thus helping to spur them into helping the economy rather than try to pay off more debt.

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