Hillary Clinton Puts Families First in Michigan

After touring the Futuramic Tool and Engineering facility in Warren, MI, Hillary delivered remarks addressing her plans for the economy in contrast to the very hazy, foreshortened bullets (I hesitate to call them plans) offered by Donald Trump. Bullets are great on a memo or a meeting agenda.  The American people want to hear how candidates plan to boost the economy.  Hillary presented a detailed, multifaceted, intersectional set of initiatives that, working in concert, will benefit all Americans and American families, not just those at the top.







Just a note on Trump's latest lies and other words. He told a crowd this morning that Hillary talks for 10 minutes and then goes home and sleeps.  Everyone here knows that is not true, and we actually often wonder if she ever gets a chance to sleep. His speech consisted largely (he thinks bigly is a word) of reading off a series of numbers from notes in his hand.  They were just numbers out of context. They meant nothing, and it was mystifying.  Hillary, in interview situations, for example, and town halls, can rattle off numbers from her head, without knowing a particular question is coming, and relates the numbers to concrete realities.  Trump held up a graph that he stared at more than he showed it to the audience.  It was a shabby imitation of Ross Perot who at least really knew the graphs and what they showed.  Perhaps Perot even made those graphs himself.  Trump looked at the graph and read the numbers as if they were alien to him and he had never seen them before.  In one instance he said, "I agree with this one."  What an unprepared puppet of the billionaire boys club that he calls his economic advisory team!

Stronger Together: Hillary Clinton’s Plan for An Economy That Works for Everyone, Not Just Those at the Top

Earlier today, Hillary Clinton delivered a speech in Warren, Michigan, posing four questions that should make voters’ choice in this election crystal clear. First, which candidate will actually stand up to those at the top and restore balance and fairness to our economy? Second, who has a better plan to create good-paying jobs? Third, who will really go to bat for working families? And, fourth, who can break through the dysfunction in Washington deliver real results for the American people?
Donald Trump fails each of these tests. Instead of restoring balance and fairness to our economy, he wants to provide trillions in tax breaks to corporations and the super-wealthy, exploding our deficit while leaving working families to hold the bag. Instead of creating good-paying jobs, his economic proposals would produce crisis and recession, resulting in 3.4 million lost jobs according to independent analysts who also projects that the economy would create 10.4 million jobs under Hillary Clinton’s plans. Instead of standing up for working families, Trump has made a career out of stiffing small businesses and outsourcing jobs. Instead of breaking through Washington gridlock, Trumps’ temper tantrums and name-calling would just make things worse.
Unlike Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has the agenda, experience, and know-how to restore fairness to our economy, create good-paying jobs, stand up for working families, and break-through Washington’s dysfunction to deliver real results for the American people. She understands that we are stronger together when we grow together—when we all contribute to our prosperity and we all share in the rewards. While we have worked our way back from the Great Recession, too many Americans are still left out and left behind. Instead of growing together, we’re in danger of growing apart – with too few good-paying jobs, too much inequality, and a lack of basic economic security and fairness for working families.
We can meet these challenges. We can spur more economic growth, which will create more good-paying jobs and raise wages. And we can have more economic fairness, so the rewards are shared with everyone. Hillary Clinton is running for President to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. As she laid out in her speech last month in Raleigh, North Carolina, she is setting five big goals to get there:

1. Break Through Washington Gridlock to Make the Boldest Investment in Good-Paying Jobs Since World War II
2. Make Debt Free College Available to All Americans
3. Rewrite the Rules to Ensure That Workers Share in the Profits They Help Create
4. Ensure That Those at the Top Pay Their Fair Share
5. Put Families First by Matching Our Policies to How Families Live, Learn, and Work in the 21st Century Economy

A summary of Hillary’s economic agenda is below. You can read about all of these proposals in greater detail at https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/.
I. BREAK THROUGH WASHINGTON GRIDLOCK TO MAKE THE BOLDEST INVESTMENT IN GOOD-PAYING JOBS SINCE WORLD WAR II
Our country has a strong bipartisan tradition of investing in our future—from Eisenhower’s Interstate highway system, which unlocked the potential of the American economy and drove the rise of the middle class, to the Apollo program, which put a man on the moon and fueled giant leaps forward in technology and innovation. Hillary Clinton will break through the gridlock in Washington to make these investments, which have been a hallmark of American prosperity, once again possible.
From her first day in office to her last, Hillary will make it a central priority to make sure that every American can find a good-paying job, with rising incomes across the board. That’s why she will make the largest investment in good-paying jobs since World War II. These investments will not just create good jobs today, they will unlock the potential of our businesses to create good-paying jobs in the future. And she is setting a goal of a full employment, full-potential economy, where we break down barriers and create good-paying jobs in every community, for people across the country willing to work hard. Hillary will:

• Launch our country’s boldest investments in infrastructure since we built the Interstate highway system

• Make audacious advancement in research and technology, creating the industries and jobs of the future

• Establish the U.S. as the clean energy superpower of the world—with half a billion solar panels installed by the end of her first term and enough clean renewable energy to power every home in American within ten years of her taking office

• Strengthen American manufacturing with a $10 billion “Make it in America” plan

• Cut red tape, make small business tax filing as easy as keeping a checkbook, and expand access to capital so small businesses can grow, hire and thrive

• Ensure that the jobs of the future in caregiving and services are good-paying jobs, recognize their fundamental contributions to families and to America

• Pursue smarter, fairer, tougher trade policies that put U.S. job creation first and that get tough on nations like China that seek to prosper at the expense of our workers – including opposing trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that do not meet a high bar of creating good-paying jobs and raising pay

• Commit to a full employment, full-potential economy and break down barriers so that growth, jobs, and prosperity are shared in every community in America, no matter where you live and no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability

• Appoint Fed governors who share the belief that maximum employment is an essential prong of the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate

II. MAKE DEBT FREE COLLEGE AVAILABLE TO ALL AMERICANS
An economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, is based on the idea of equal opportunity and a belief that anyone can rise. That vision of our nation only works if we renew our commitment to education at every level. That’s why Hillary will fight for transformational investments that prepare the next generation for the jobs of the future—starting with debt-free college:

• Eliminate tuition for working families and provide debt-free college to all Americans—because debt should never be a barrier to equal opportunity

• Ease the crushing burden of student debt for 40 million Americans by allowing students to refinance at lower rates and making sure that none of them have to pay more than they can afford

• Ensure that every 4-year old in America has access to high-quality preschool in the next 10 years

• Fight for world-class K-12 education for every child in every zip code

• Lift up programs that invest in our workforce and equip Americans with lifelong skills and education

III. REWRITE THE RULES TO ENSURE WORKERS SHARE IN THE PROFITS THEY HELP CREATE
Businesses thrive all over our country by seeing employees as assets to invest in, not costs to cut. They’re building companies, not stripping them, and creating good jobs, not eliminating them. But too many corporations take the opposite view. They seem to have forgotten that one of the biggest assets on their balance sheets is America itself. Hillary will make it easier for companies that take the “high road,” like sharing profits with their workers and investing in them over the long term. And she will make it harder for them to take the “low road,” by mistreating their workers and customers or walking out on America to avoid paying their fair share in taxes.

• Reward companies that share profits with their employees, not just their executives

• Fight for unions that built the great American middle class and strengthen collective bargaining

• Encourage businesses to provide worker training and apprenticeships

• End the tyranny of “quarterly capitalism” and encourage companies to invest in America for the long-run

• Reform our tax code to reward businesses that invest in jobs in the United States, and impose an exit tax on companies that move overseas to avoid paying their taxes

• Strengthen our antitrust laws and enforcement so businesses get ahead by competing and benefitting their customers – not by unfairly concentrating markets

• Eliminate write-offs and claw back special tax breaks when companies ship jobs and production overseas, and use the proceeds to invest in America

• Make the minimum wage a living wage and fight for equal pay

• Pursue worker-friendly policies to make it harder for companies to race to the bottom in search of profits

• Defend Wall Street reform and push for new measures to ensure that Wall Street never threatens Main Street again

IV. REWRITE THE RULES AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE AT THE TOP PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE
Our tax code is rigged for those at the top, making it harder to invest in our future, whether it’s in infrastructure, education or healthcare. We need policies to address these discrepancies in our tax code and go after all the scams, loopholes, and special breaks exploited by corporations and the mega-rich, like the carried interest loophole that lets some hedge fund managers pay a lower rate than a teacher or a nurse. She believes that by making sure the most fortunate and corporations pay their fair share, we can afford to pay for the ambitious progressive investments she has put forward, in a fiscally responsible way, without adding to the debt.
As President, Hillary will make sure that corporations and the most fortunate play by the rules and pay their fair share – because they can afford it, and we’re all in this together. She will:

• Reform our individual income tax code to make sure that no millionaire pays a lower tax rate than a middle-class family and impose a surcharge on the incomes of multi-millionaires

• Close tax loopholes and special breaks that make it possible for the wealthy and corporations to avoid paying their fair share

• Charge a risk fee on major Wall Street institutions

• Close the “carried interest” loophole for Wall Street money managers – acting without Congress if it will not move forward on its own

• Offer relief to the middle class from rising costs – such as child care, health care, and education

V. PUT FAMILIES FIRST AND MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE SECURITY AND OPPORTUNITY THEY NEED TO THRIVE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
When we forged the basic bargain of our economy, with guarantees like Social Security, minimum wage, overtime pay, child labor laws, and other protections we count on today, our economy was very different. Most families got by on one income, and workers could expect to hold a steady job with good benefits for an entire career. Despite massive shifts in how our economy works today, too many of our policies are outdated and basic protections have not kept up. We need policies that match how we actually live and work in this 21^st century economy. That means updating the basic bargain and putting families first. Hillary will:

• Guarantee paid family leave

• Strengthen and expand Social Security

• Provide universal, affordable healthcare – including offering a public option choice in every state, letting people over 55 buy into Medicare, and investing in community health centers

• Cap prescription drug costs and prevent price gouging by pharmaceutical companies

• Work to ensure no family pays more than 10 percent of their income on child care by making the Child Tax Credit more generous for working families, making preschool universal for every 4 year-old in America, and significantly increasing our investment in high-quality child care programs

• Break down barriers to make affordable housing and homeownership possible for hard working families

And now this!

David Cay Johnston:  Is a Crook Hiding in Donald Trump’s Taxes?

Hillary Clinton's Commitment to the Future of Quality Universal Health Care

Ever since the ACA passed, Hillary has echoed over and over that it was a good first step, and we have to do more.  Other candidates in this election cycle have campaigned on a promise to repeal the ACA,  Hillary has vowed all along to improve, strengthen, and enhance it. Here is her commitment to the future of health care.

Hillary Clinton’s Commitment: Universal, Quality, Affordable Health Care for Everyone in America

The Affordable Care Act was a critically important step toward the goal of universal health care, offering coverage to 20 million more Americans, and ensuring all Americans will never be denied coverage on account of a pre-existing condition or their gender. Today, 90 percent of all Americans have health insurance, the most in the history of our country.
Despite this progress, Hillary believes that we have more work to do to finish our long fight to provide universal, quality, affordable health care to everyone in America. This starts by strengthening, improving and building on the Affordable Care Act to cover more Americans.
First, Hillary will work with governors to expand Medicaid in every state, so that access to care no longer depends on where you live. It is a disgrace that 19 states have left 3 million Americans without health insurance because their states have refused to expand Medicaid. It is wrong that Republican governors and legislatures are leaving too many Americans without health insurance even though they qualify for coverage. Hillary will launch a national campaign to enroll people who are eligible but not already enrolled. She will expand access to affordable health care to families regardless of immigration status by allowing families to buy health insurance on the health Exchanges regardless of their immigration status.
Second, Hillary will get health care costs under control so that those who have health insurance can afford the health care they need. She will not stand for unjustified health premium increases – she will make sure the Secretary of Health and Human Services has the authority to block or modify unreasonable health insurance premium rate increases so that coverage is more affordable. Hillary has comprehensive plans to address increasing out-of-pocket and prescription drug costs. She will cap prescription drug costs that people have to pay out of pocket, and limit excessive out-of-pocket costs for families. And Hillary will work on long-term solutions to reduce consumer costs of prescription drugs so that these drugs are affordable for all, while not stifling innovation that produces life-saving and life-extending scientific breakthroughs.
Third, consistent with her previous proposals on public options, Hillary will pursue efforts to give Americans in every state in the country the choice of a public-option insurance plan, and to expand Medicare by allowing people 55 years or older to opt in while protecting the traditional Medicare program.
Hillary has also laid out strategies to address a multitude of pressing health care challenges – from Alzheimer’s, to autism, mental health and substance abuse, to public health infrastructure and environmental health, to women’s health, all the way through Zika.
As we advance toward the goal of universal health care, Hillary believes we must do more to address the lack of access to primary health care, dental care, mental health care and affordable prescription drugs.
One critical component of establishing universal primary care is to expand our proven system of Federally Qualified Health Centers. Today, 25 million people in the United States get their care from these community health centers each year. We must significantly expand that coverage so that every American, regardless of where they live, has good quality primary health care available to them at a cost they can afford.
The Affordable Care act significantly expanded mandatory funding for FQHCs. As part of her comprehensive health care agenda, Hillary is committed to doubling the funding for primary care services at community health centers over the next decade. In doing so, we will dramatically expand access to millions more people. This means extending the current mandatory funding under the Affordable Care Act and expanding it by $40 billion over the next 10 years.
Hillary also supports President Obama’s call for a near tripling of the size of the National Health Service Corps, which will increase funding to $810 million in 2017 and grow over time to $1.3 billion by 2027.
These are good investments for patients and for taxpayers.  Today, community health centers save more than $1,200 per person per year. This is a savings to the overall health care system of $49 billion each year.  And by allowing people to access health care when they need it, we will avoid costly illnesses, hospital stays and trips to emergency rooms.  A healthier population also means fewer missed days of school and work. In sum, working toward providing universal primary care to all Americans by investing in community health centers will save billions in unnecessary health care spending.
Together these steps will get us closer to the day when everyone in America has access to quality, affordable health care.

Hillary Clinton's Plan to Protect Small Businesses

In Atlantic City, Hillary recounted stories of small business people who did work for Donald Trump and were not paid.  She has a plan to prevent small businesses from being bullied and stiffed by big businesses and bad actors like this one.

NEW TESTIMONIAL VIDEO: When Trump Wins, the Little Guy Loses

On the night of the California primary, in the clubhouse of the Trump National Golf Club Westchester, Donald Trump touted his less-than-stellar business record and claimed he would “make it very, very good” for small business in America.
Architect Andrew Tesoro designed that clubhouse. Trump loved it. But when Tesoro sent Trump a bill for his work, he replied through his lawyers: Accept pennies on the dollar or I’ll tie you up in court for years.
In a new video released by Hillary for America, Tesoro says he was humiliated by Trump and felt he had no choice but to accept a low-ball payment for his work. Trump almost put him out of business. He made nothing for years, maxed out his credit lines, and dipped into his son’s college savings to survive.
Tesoro is one among many Trump has targeted, and Hillary for America is updating the ArtOfTheSteal.biz to outline Trump’s step-by-step guide to getting rich on the backs of those don’t have the resources to fight him. Call this the “Trump Discount.”
Trump’s “master grifter” strategy has sunk small businesses and hurt working families. Forcing those who cannot match him in court to either sue or settle for less than they deserve, Trump has shown again and again that for him, winning means the little guy loses.

Trump’s grand scheme for business success had four steps:

1. Contract out some work to a local small business.
Now, this part seems nice! If you’re looking for someone to install the chandeliers in your mansion or build some cabinets, why wouldn’t you hire a mom-and-pop operation who will put some real care into the job?
2. After the work is done, just don’t pay.
That’s right -- after completing the job, the aforementioned small business would send out an invoice for payment… that wouldn’t ever come.
This is the step where Trump loses me. It’s also where Edward Friel of Atlantic City found himself:
“After submitting the final bill for the Plaza casino cabinet-building in 1984, Paul Friel said he got a call asking that his father, Edward, come to the Trump family’s offices at the casino for a meeting. There Edward, and some other contractors, were called in one by one to meet with Donald Trump and his brother, Robert Trump.”

3. Offer the contractor two options: Begin an expensive lawsuit, or accept way less money than previously agreed upon.
We’re talking a fraction of the price of the job -- after the work was already done. Take landscaper Herman Caucci and marble supplier John Millar:
“Caucci, who himself was owed more than $500,000, says Millar agreed to take 10 cents on the dollar, but court documents suggest he got about 30 cents on the dollar over the next year. Millar is deceased. His family wouldn't respond to repeated calls for comment.
Either way, the money wasn't enough. Millar eventually had to lay off workers, shut down his business Avalon Commercial, close many of his retail stores and borrow from friends to make ends meet, according to court documents and Millar's lawyers and former employees.”Maybe bigwigs with wealthy fathers like Donald Trump can afford a bankruptcy or two, but small business owners? They can’t.
“'HE ALMOST bankrupted us,' says the retired owner of a construction business on the east coast. Thirty years ago he ran a small business with around ten employees, which was hired by Donald Trump to work on an 11-month project at his Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City. It was the biggest contract, by far, that the business had ever had. The builders worked as they had never done before to complete the job on time. As soon as they finished, Mr Trump stopped paying. He owed around $200,000 of a bill totalling about $700,000, a huge sum for a small company."

4. Watch as the business sinks -- hitting owners and employees alike.
While Donald gets off with discounted work, more than one business were nearly driven to shut their doors. Seems exactly the opposite of “looking out for the little guy” to me.
We’re not talking once or twice here. According to USA Today, there have been literally hundreds of suits against Trump for unpaid bills. That’s hundreds of hard-working people who have been cheated by the Donald -- and been brave enough to fight back.
Read the rest at http://www.artofthesteal.biz/

Trump is not even ashamed of this strategy. Hillary, on the other hand, thinks small businesses should be protected from this behavior.
 

Hillary for America Unveils Plan to Ensure Small Businesses Get Paid, Not Stiffed By Bad Actors in Big Business

Hillary Clinton has a new plan to strengthen small businesses by cracking down on bad business actors whose fraudulent business practices jeopardize small businesses and their workers. Hillary Clinton’s plan proposes giving small businesses recourse to fight back against unscrupulous big business practices that stiff small businesses when bills come due. She will leverage hundreds of billions of dollars in federal contracting to make sure small businesses get paid faster – and expand programs that put more working capital in the hands of small business owners so they can thrive, grow and hire. These proposals are part of her plan to fight for the largest investment in good-paying jobs in her first 100 days in office, one of her five major goals for our economy.
The announcement follows Clinton’s speech in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Wednesday outside the former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, where she decried Trump’s failed business record and was joined by one Atlantic City small businessman, Marty Rosenberg, who was not paid in full for his work on a Trump property.
“I thought a lot about my dad in the last weeks as I learn more about Donald Trump’s business behavior,” Hillary Clinton said in Atlantic City. “My dad was a small businessman. If his customers had done to him what Trump did to these companies, he wouldn’t have made it, either. … We believe in an America where small businesses are respected, not scammed. I have a plan to make sure big businesses can’t stiff suppliers and contractors like Donald’s been doing for years.”
Clinton’s plan would enhance legal protections for small businesses that are repeatedly stiffed by large firms and give them better tools to protect themselves against predatory behavior by large companies. She would increase federal regulatory enforcement for unscrupulous big businesses that have a pattern or practice of using their market power to repeatedly exploit small businesses by not paying them, or otherwise defrauding or deceiving them. She also would ensure that small businesses have expanded means of recourse, such as through banding together to hold these practices accountable in court.
“Small businesses are the foundation of the American Dream, for generations providing opportunity for millions of American families and workers,” said former Small Business Administration Administrator Karen Mills, now a senior fellow at Harvard Business School. “Despite their resilience the recession hit them hard, but they have proven that given the resources and opportunity, they can and will continue to drive our nation’s economic growth and competitiveness. Secretary Clinton has laid out a plan that ensures small businesses aren’t taken advantage of and get paid on time, leverages federal dollars to ensure prompt payment, and expands access to working capital. This is important because whether it’s a Main Street shop or a startup tech firm, customer demand, cash flow and a friendlier tax and regulatory environment are critical. Secretary Clinton’s focus is on making sure small businesses have a government that is working for them, fighting for them and enabling them to grow and create jobs.”
Additionally, Clinton’s plan calls for leveraging the more than $400 billion in federal government contracting to encourage businesses to pay their suppliers in full and on time. Her plan also calls for expanding proven SBA loan guarantee programs that broaden access to working capital, so small businesses can weather periods where they are not paid on time – and thrive, grow, hire, and expand.
To read Clinton’s full proposal for defending, protecting and supporting small businesses from abusive big business practices, visit her website here.

Hillary Clinton's Initiatives for Debt-Free Grads

Hillary Clinton’s Commitment: A Debt-Free Future for America’s Graduates

Education is the key to so much we want to achieve as a country:  a stronger, more equitable economy; a healthier, more vibrant democracy; a future in which we meet challenges with ingenuity and skill.  Education is also the key to our young people achieving their dreams.  It’s how we develop our talents and imagine different futures for ourselves.  So any serious plan for America’s future must include a bold plan to put quality education – including college – within everyone’s reach, no matter how much money they have.
College used to be pretty affordable.  For millions of Americans, that’s not the case anymore. Too many families in the United States are struggling with student debt, and the problem has reached crisis levels. Within the last ten years, total student debt in our economy has more than doubled and now exceeds $1.2 trillion. Nearly 7 out of every 10 new graduates of four-year colleges are in debt, and these indebted graduates carry an average balance of nearly $30,000. Student debt has surpassed credit card debt, car loan debt, and home equity lines of credit to be the second largest source of consumer debt.
And this is not just an issue for borrowers: It is holding our economy back. This debt prevents people from forming families, buying homes, and starting small businesses. It sends the wrong signal to future students whom we need to complete college to drive economic growth.
Meanwhile, for families sending their kids to colleges and universities, tuition has ballooned out of control and has become increasingly unaffordable even at public colleges and universities.  Tuition has risen 40% in the last ten years at four-year public colleges and universities, after inflation, while family incomes have remained basically flat.  And states have been cutting their spending on higher education – by roughly 20% per student since the recession – rather than expanding their investments.
Simply put, this situation has careened out of control.  Hillary Clinton has a plan to help millions of Americans with their debt right now, and a plan to make college debt-free for future generations.
Provide Immediate Help to Graduates Who Need Relief from Crushing Debt Hillary has made clear she will fight to ensure that all borrowers can:

• Refinance their student loans at current rates, just as borrowers can refinance a car or home loan. Refinancing would help 25 million borrowers across the country, with the typical borrower saving $2,000 over the life of the loan.

• Enroll in income-based repayment. Nobody should have to pay more than 10 percent of monthly income, and college debt should be forgiven after 20 years – and 10 years if a borrower works in the public interest. Hillary will simplify, expand and develop options for automatic enrollment in these programs.

• Push employers to contribute to student debt relief. Employers must be part of the solution to the student debt crisis. Clinton will create a payroll deduction portal for employers and employees that will simplify the repayment process. She will explore further options to encourage employers to help pay down student debt.

• Get relief from debt for starting a business or social enterprise.  Aspiring entrepreneurs will be able to defer their loans with no payments or interest for up to three years so that student debt and the lack of family wealth is not a barrier to innovation in our country. For social entrepreneurs and those starting new enterprises in distressed communities, her plan will provide up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness.

• Reward public service.  AmeriCorps members who complete two years of national service and a year of public service can have their loans forgiven.  Teachers who teach in high-need areas or in subjects with teacher shortages – such as computer science or special education – will get enhanced loan forgiveness.

A Moratorium on Student Debt to Get Millions of Borrowers Relief from Crushing Debt: Today, Hillary Clinton is announcing that she will take immediate executive action to offer a three-month moratorium on student loan payments to all federal loan borrowers. During this time-out from paying student loans, every borrower will be given the resources and targeted help they need to save money on their loans. With dedicated assistance from the Department of Education during this moratorium, borrowers will be able to consolidate their loans, sign up quickly and easily for income-based repayment plans, and take direct advantage of opportunities to reduce monthly interest payments and fees. Borrowers who are delinquent or in default will receive additional rehabilitation options to help them get back on their feet. Clinton will also use the moratorium to crack down on for-profit colleges and loan servicers who have too often taken advantage of borrowers – and to ensure that borrowers can resolve outstanding issues in a timely and fair manner.

Debt-Free College for our Future Students
Hillary Clinton has pledged to achieve the goal of debt-free college for future graduates, so that cost is never a barrier for young people seeking to pursue their dreams of higher education.  It’s a simple, but bold idea:  Every student should be able to graduate from a public college or university in their state without taking on any student debt.  To reach this goal, Hillary is enhancing the New College Compact she announced last year.  Her plan will:

• Eliminate college tuition for working families. Families with income up to $125,000 will pay no tuition at in-state public colleges and universities – covering more than 80 percent of all families. From the start of this plan, every student from a family making $85,000 a year or less will be able to go to a 4-year public college or university tuition free. This income threshold will increase by $10,000 a year every year over the next four years so that by 2021, all students with a family income of $125,000 will have the opportunity to pay no tuition. She will also continue her commitment to ensure that community colleges are tuition-free for all working families.

• Help students deal with all of the costs of attending college.  Hillary Clinton will protect Pell Grant funding to help low- and middle-income students pay non-tuition expenses, and she will restore year-round Pell Grant funding so that students have the necessary support they need to take summer classes and meet their goal of completing college.  She will make a major investment in HBCUs, Minority-Serving Institutions and other low-cost, modest-endowment private schools so that these deserving students also benefit from the lower cost of college. She will work to expand opportunities for students to earn money for expenses through term-time work and to receive college credit for national service. She will expand support for student-parents, including a fifteen-fold increase in federal funding for on-campus child care.

The New College Compact: Hillary Clinton’s plan requires everyone to do their part.  The federal government will make a major new investment to make this possible, but states will have to step up and meet their obligations as well.
States will have to commit to a combination of reinvestment and reform over the next four years and beyond to ensure that federal support is funding students and not excessive cost growth.

• Colleges and universities will be accountable for reining in costs to provide value to their students; improving completion rates and learning outcomes; and doing more to provide students from disadvantaged backgrounds with the tools they need to reach college and succeed once they get there.

• Students will be expected to work 10 hours a week to help defray the full cost of attendance. Clinton will push to expand work opportunities that build career skills and introduce students of all backgrounds to public service careers.

• As part of this New College Compact, Hillary will encourage and reward innovators who design imaginative new ways of providing valuable higher education to students while driving down costs.  And she will crack down on the abusive practices of for-profit colleges that defraud taxpayers while burdening students with debt for educational programs of no value.