Jill Biden says she's 'disappointed' Democrats axed free community college from Biden's plan

• "Joe has also had to make compromises," Jill Biden said of the White House backing away from a tuition-free community college plan.
• Biden, who is a community college educator, has been one of the administration's biggest supporters of the plan.

First Lady Jill Biden on Monday that's she's "disappointed" President Joe Biden's plan for tuition-free community college is no longer on the table in discussions on how to salvage the president's massive economic and climate plan, The New York Times reports.

"One year ago, I told this group that Joe, my husband Joe, was going to fight for community colleges," she said at an event Monday morning. "But Joe has also had to make compromises. Congress hasn't passed the Build Back Better legislation — yet. And free community college is no longer a part of that package."

Democrats jettisoned the free community college proposal months ago, but Jill Biden's statement serves as a reminder that the first lady, who is also a community college professor, is paying close attention to its future.

"We knew this wouldn't be easy," Biden said. "Still, like you, I was disappointed. Because, like you, these aren't just bills or budgets to me, to you, right? We know what they mean for real people, for our students."

President Biden confirmed that the proposal was unlikely to pass last October. He later promised that it would pass before the end of his first term.

"And if I don't, I'll be sleeping alone for a long time," Biden joked to CNN's Anderson Cooper during an October 2021 town hall.

The future of Biden's climate and spending plan, known as "Build Back Better," remains uncertain at best and bleak at worst. Sen. Joe Manchin, a key Democratic swing vote, told Insider last week that the plan was "dead" before later opening the door slightly to future talks over a slimmed-down proposal. But Manchin appears much more focused on reforming the Electoral Count Act.

If free community college does see eventual success in Congress, Manchin has already suggested what he would like the measure to look like. He indicated he wanted to subject it to thresholds, meaning only a targeted group of people would have access to the free education, significantly reducing the reach many Democrats would want it to have.

Michigan Rep. Andy Levin — an original sponsor of free community college legislation — told Insider in an October interview that even if the policy does not make it into Democrats' next big spending package, that doesn't mean Americans will never see it come to fruition.

He also noted the $1.7 trillion student debt crisis "will absolutely be exacerbated" without free community college, given the policy would reduce the need for federal loans to access higher education.

"We are working on it right up until the final buzzer," Levin said. "And I'm not going to stop playing the game and tussling and sweating until the whistle sounds and the game's over."