Politics

Sen. Klobuchar: ‘I Am Not For Free Four-Year College For All’

CNN 2/18

Mike Brest Reporter
Font Size:

Democratic Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced that she does not support free four-year college for all, during a CNN town hall in New Hampshire on Monday night.

WATCH:

“So I’d like to ask you, would you be willing to stand with my generation and end the student debt crisis by supporting free college for all? And would you include undocumented and formerly incarcerated people in that program?” Griffin Sinclair-Wingate asked. “And if you could please just preface your answer with a clear yes or no, I would really appreciate that. Thank you so much.”

“All right. Let me answer you first of all. I think we have to do everything to help our students afford college. My idea is to make it easier to refinance, to start with two-year degrees, the community colleges being free. That’s something that President Obama was pushing. There’s a reason I’ll get to why I’m starting there instead of four-year,” Klobuchar responded. (RELATED: Klobuchar Says She’d Vote For The Green New Deal, But Isn’t Sold On It As ‘Actual Legislation’)

“So here’s what we need to do. The first thing is we need to make it easier to afford college, and you need to do that by making it easier to refinance these loans, by extending Pell grants so it includes more students, those are simply grants, right?” she continued. “So if you extend those Pell grants, that’s going to make it even easier because right now it’s for a limited number of students. And I think we should expand it to more students.”

“So he did ask you yes or no. Would you support free college for all?” Lemon chimed in.

“No, I am not for free four-year college for all, no. Thank you,” Klobuchar answered. ” And I wish — if I was a magic genie and could give that to everyone and we could afford it, I would.”

Klobuchar is one of approximately 10 Democrats seeking the 2020 party nomination to run against President Donald Trump. She has separated herself from many of her Democratic opponents for opting not to fully support the Green New Deal.

Follow Mike on Twitter