Biden Adopts Free Public College Plan In Response to Sanders

Joe Biden is adopting a version of tuition-free college in an effort to reach out to Bernie Sanders’s young supporters as the former vice president attempts to unite the two wings of the Democratic Party around him, his campaign said.

Biden now supports making public college and university tuition free for all students whose families earn less than $125,000 a year, his campaign said Sunday. Biden plans to discuss the new position during Sunday night’s one-on-one debate against Sanders.

It’s the second policy concession his campaign has made to progressive opponents this week, following his backing of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s plan to fix the bankruptcy system. Biden and Warren battled over bankruptcy legislation more than a decade ago. But Biden’s campaign said he now supports her plan, which would make it easier for individuals to get relief through bankruptcy and would eliminate rules that make it nearly impossible to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy.