Presidential prospect Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., tested a stump speech on Monday in New Hampshire, diverging slightly from other Democratic contenders by not promising free college tuition.
Swalwell, 38, is touring early-voting states, having already made stops this year in Iowa and South Carolina, as he mulls launching a bid for the White House.
“I would offer a college bargain,” Swalwell said at the “Politics & Eggs” breakfast speaker series. “If you work through college, through work-study, and you come out [and] through part-time, volunteer service hours, lift up and help out a community in need, and still do your full-time job … you can get a debt-free education. If you work for college, college should work for you in America. It’s not free college, it’s a bargain.”
His three-prong proposal includes dropping the federal interest rate slapped on loans to 0 percent, allowing graduates to refinance or renegotiate for more competitive rates, and permitting employers to contribute to their employee’s student debt tax-free while letting those employees receive the assistance without being taxed themselves.
“Go big, be bold, do good,” Swalwell said repeatedly, signaling a potential campaign slogan.
But Swalwell on Monday remained mum about his 2020 plans when asked whether he would announce his intentions soon.
The California Democrat’s comments, made in a state where graduates are burdened with some of the highest student loan debt in the country, come after fellow Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota declined to support the roll-out of free four-year college for students if she won the party’s nomination next year.
“If I was a magic genie and could give that to everyone and we could afford it, I would,” Klobuchar said this month during a CNN town hall. “I’m just trying to find a mix of incentives and make sure kids that are in need — that’s why I talked about expanding Pell Grants — can go to college and be able to afford it, and make sure that people that can afford it are able to pay.”
