On Monday, First Lady Jill Biden spoke in person at the Community College National Legislative Summit in Washington.
To the audience’s surprise, the first lady spoke about the Build Back Better Act, President Joe Biden’s proposal for social programs like free community college. She pointed fingers at Congress for stalling the legislation.
“Governing isn’t a game,” she said.
Last year, she promised free community college to that same group. She said in 2021, “We have to get this done. And we have to do it now. That’s why we’re going to make sure that everyone has access to free community college and training programs.”
On Monday, she addressed her failed promise.
“One year ago, I told this group that Joe, my husband Joe, was going to fight for community colleges,” she said Monday, according to The New York Times. “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.”
First Lady Biden broke with tradition at Monday’s conference. After all, first ladies generally avoid commenting on the legislative process… especially in the event of a legislative defeat.
However, First Lady Biden feels attached to this issue. She’s taught at community colleges for years, and she has long argued for waiving tuition at these schools. She worked on the issue during the Obama administration, during her husband’s vice presidency.
President Biden scrapped the tuition plan as he tried to win the support of key Democrats who objected to the scope and cost of the overall measure. The president desperately needed a vote from every Senate Democrat in order to overcome universal opposition from Republicans in a chamber split 50-50.
However, President Biden rejected a deal in October from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. After that, Manchin ended negotiations with Biden, and he declared the bill “dead” when speaking to reporters earlier this month.
President Biden has remained optimistic about his ability to pass “big chunks” of the bill, according to a press conference in January. Manchin told reporters earlier this month, “We’ll see.”
The first lady, however, appeared more embittered.
“Build Back Better isn’t just a piece of legislation,” she said, as if speaking to Manchin himself. “And it’s certainly not a football to pass or pivot.”
She continued:
I’m a first lady for all Americans, but when it comes to teams, my heart belongs to the Philadelphia Eagles, the 76ers, the Phillies, and the Flyers…
The competition, the crowds, the rivalries! I love it all…
But too often, we treat what happens in our nation’s capital like a sports game, too, wondering which team will score the most points with voters…
Legislation becomes a football to keep away from the other side, and Americans get lost in the playbook…
There are no teams to root for or against, just people, Americans from all walks of life who need help and hope.
The first lady talked about having to lend a book to one of her students last week because he couldn’t buy it before pay day, and about the student mom who eventually dropped out of class after her child got sick with COVID-19.
“We knew this wouldn’t be easy,” the first lady said, according to The New York Times. “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.”
She implied that both students would benefit from tuition-free college, child care support and other provisions of the stalled legislation.
“Joe doesn’t quit. He doesn’t give up. He is keeping his promise to rebuild our middle class and he knows that community colleges do just that,” the first lady concluded, to applause.
We’ll see.
The Horn editorial team and The Associated Press contributed to this article.