Guess that’s why they say never to look a gift horse in the mouth. You just might find out that your supposedly “free” community college degree comes with a $60 billion price tag for taxpayers.
President Obama announced an ambiguous proposal last week to give millions of students the opportunity to go to college by offering them two free years of community college. But the administration at first declined to say how much it would cost.
Now it appears their secret is out.
Eric Schultz, the White House deputy press secretary, told reporters Friday that the program will likely cost at least $60 billion over the next decade.
It represents “a significant investment,” Schultz said, “but it’s one the president believes is worthwhile because we need to make sure that America’s young people are getting the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century economy.”
While it’s unlikely that this proposal will get that kind of funding commitment from Congress, Schultz said that this proposal has generated “intense” interest and that they are hopeful Congress will listen.
“We take Republicans at their word when they say there is an interest in education,” he said.
It’s definitely true what they say. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. And we could be paying off this bill for a long time to come.
