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Remarks: Obama, Jill Biden at Health Care and Education Reconciliation
Act Signing March 30, 2010
Northern Virginia Community College
Alexandria, Virginia
11:04 A.M. EDT
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Fired up!
THE PRESIDENT: Fired up! (Laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Obama! (Laughter.)
DR. BIDEN: Good morning, everyone, and thank you for being here today.
I'm Jill Biden and I am honored to be a community college instructor.
(Applause.) I have been a teacher for almost three decades and a
community college instructor for the past 16 years. In fact, I'm an
English teacher right here on this campus. (Applause.) It's my great
pleasure to welcome you all to Northern Virginia Community College.
(Applause.)
Last week, our President signed an historic health care bill that will
provide quality, affordable medical care for millions of Americans.
(Applause.) Today we are here to celebrate another historic piece of
legislation -- one that will make a college education a reality for
millions of middle-class Americans. (Applause.)
All of us here today know that higher education is essential to the
success of our children and vital to the economic future of our
country. But too many American families, they've had to take on
crushing debt to pursue a college degree. I see every day in my
classroom just how hard my students work in order to pay their tuition
bills. Often their family budgets are stretched to the limit. And when
things get tough -- someone loses a job or a family member gets sick
-- a college education is the first thing to go.
Thanks to the leadership of President Obama, our Vice President, and
members of Congress here today, families across the country will find
it a little easier to get to college and stay in college. (Applause.)
I am pleased to say that the reforms in this bill will make a huge
difference to those Americans who need it most. The expansions in Pell
Grants will provide critical financial support to millions of middle-
class Americans who are struggling with the costs of college. The caps
on student loan repayments will ensure that our students don't go
broke because they chose to pursue a college education. And I am
particularly thrilled that this bill invests in community colleges
across our country so that more students can gain the knowledge and
technical job skills that they need to compete and succeed.
I have seen firsthand the power of community colleges to change lives
and serve as a gateway to opportunity for students at all stages of
their lives and careers. This bill increases investments in community
colleges around the country to help these institutions do what they do
best -- prepare our students for the workforce of today and tomorrow.
The President has set an ambitious goal for higher education in this
country. By 2020, we want America once again to have the highest
proportion of college graduates in the world. (Applause.) To make this
happen, we'll need to invest in these students and invest in the
colleges that they will attend.
The bill that President Obama will sign here today is a huge step
forward toward meeting our goal. I can't think of a better investment
in America's future.
I'm proud to be here as a community college instructor, and I am
especially proud and honored to introduce a President who is making
higher education a reality for millions more Americans.
Please welcome President Barack Obama. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Alexandria! Thank you very much. (Applause.)
Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. (Applause.)
Please, have a seat.
Thank you, Dr. Biden, for that outstanding introduction and for
putting up with Joe. (Laughter.) I want to also thank Dr. Biden for
being one of the thousands of instructors all across the country who
make such a difference in the lives of students each and every day. So
we are very proud of you for that. (Applause.)
I want to thank President Templin and the entire NOVA Community
College family for hosting us here today -- you can applaud for that.
(Applause.)
On stage we've got a couple of my outstanding Cabinet members:
Secretary Sebelius and Secretary Arne Duncan -- please give them a big
round of applause. (Applause.) In the audience we've got Secretary
Salazar of Interior; Secretary Donovan of HUD; and Ambassador Ron
Kirk, our U.S. Trade Representative -- please give them a big round of
applause. (Applause.)
To all the outstanding members of Congress who made this day possible
-- and I'm going to mainly single out the amazing Speaker of the
House, Nancy Pelosi. (Applause.)
Today, we mark an important milestone on the road to health insurance
reform and higher education reform. But, more broadly, this day
affirms our ability to overcome the challenges of our politics and
meet the challenges of our time.
When I took office, one of the questions we needed to answer was
whether it was still possible to make government responsive to the
needs of everyday people, middle-class Americans, the backbone of this
country; or whether the special interests and their lobbyists would
continue to hold sway, like they've done so many times before. And
that's a test we met one week ago, when health insurance reform became
the law of the land in the United States of America. (Applause.)
And it's a test we met later in the week when Congress passed higher
education reforms that will have a tremendous impact on working
families -- and America's future. That's two major victories in one
week that will improve the lives of our people for generations to
come. (Applause.)
Now, I've said before and I've repeated this week the health insurance
reform bill I signed won't fix every problem in our health care system
in one fell swoop. But it does represent some of the toughest
insurance reforms in history. It represents a major step forward
towards giving Americans with insurance -– and those without -– a
sense of security when it comes to their health care. It enshrines the
principle that when you get sick, you've got a society there, a
community, that is going to help you get back on your feet. It
represents meaningful progress for the American people.
And today, I'm signing a bill that will make a number of improvements
to these core reforms. We'll increase the size of tax credits to help
middle-class families and small businesses pay for their health
insurance. (Applause.)
We're going to offer $250 to seniors who fall in the Medicare coverage
gap known as the doughnut hole to help them pay for prescriptions, and
that's a first step towards closing that gap completely. (Applause.)
We'll make a significant new investment in community health centers
all across America that can provide high-quality primary care to
people who need it most. (Applause.) And we'll strengthen efforts to
combat waste and fraud and abuse, to make sure your dollars aren't
lining the pockets of insurance companies when they should be making
your health care better. (Applause.)
Now, the debate on health care reform is one that's gone on for
generations, and I'm glad -- I'm gratified that we were able to get it
done last week. But what's gotten overlooked amid all the hoopla, all
the drama of last week, is what happened in education -- when a great
battle pitting the interests of the banks and financial institutions
against the interests of students finally came to an end. (Applause.)
You see, for almost two decades, we've been trying to fix a sweetheart
deal in federal law that essentially gave billions of dollars to banks
to act as unnecessary middlemen in administering student loans. So
those are billions of dollars that could have been spent helping more
of our students attend and complete college; that could have been
spent advancing the dreams of our children; that could have been spent
easing the burden of tuition on middle-class families. Instead, that
money was spent padding student lenders' profits.
Now, it probably won't surprise you to learn that the big banks and
financial institutions hired a army of lobbyists to protect the status
quo. In fact, Sallie Mae, America's biggest student lender, spent more
than $3 million on lobbying last year alone.
But I didn't stand with the banks and the financial industries in this
fight. That's not why I came to Washington. And neither did any of the
members of Congress who are here today. We stood with you. We stood
with America's students. (Applause.) And together, we finally won that
battle.
I don't have to tell folks here at NOVA why this victory matters. In
the 21st century, when the success of every American hinges more than
ever on the quality of their education, and when America's success as
a nation rests more than ever on an educated workforce that is second
to none, we can't afford to waste billions of dollars on giveaways to
banks.
We need to invest that money in our students. We need to invest in our
community colleges. We need to invest in the future of this country.
We need to meet the goal I set last year and graduate more of our
students than any other nation by the year 2020. And through the
extraordinary leadership of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, that's
what the reforms I'm signing today will help us do. (Applause.)
By cutting out the middleman, we'll save American taxpayers $68
billion in the coming years -- $68 billion. That's real money --
(laughter) -- real savings that we'll reinvest to help improve the
quality of higher education and make it more affordable.
Now, we've already taken a number of steps through the Recovery Act
and through my budget to significantly increase the support provided
to young people attending colleges and universities all across the
country.
And I just -- President Templin handed me a sheet just as I walked in.
Just in case you're wondering whether this makes a difference, so far
this year -- and the year isn't over -- right here at NOVA, Pell Grant
recipients increased by 41 percent over last year. (Applause.) The
total dollar amount of Pell Grants increased by 59 percent. The number
of federally guaranteed loans increased by 43 percent and loan awards
increased by 68 percent. That's right here at this one community
college, because of the steps that we had already taken. (Applause.)
So using the $68 billion that we're saving, that had been going to the
banks, here's what we're going to be able to do. First, we will
reinvest a portion of those savings to upgrade our community colleges,
which are one of the great, undervalued assets in our education
system. (Applause.)
Community colleges like NOVA are incredibly important because they
serve a varied group of learners, from recent high school grads
seeking a pathway to a college degree, to adults seeking training for
the jobs of tomorrow. By forging private sector partnerships,
community colleges can offer students the education and training they
need to find a good job when they graduate -- and it helps offer
businesses the assurance they need that graduates will be ready for
the jobs that they're hired to do.
And because community colleges like NOVA are so essential to a
competitive workforce, I've asked your outstanding professor, Dr. Jill
Biden -- who does not have enough to do -- (laughter) -- to host a
summit on community colleges at the White House this fall. And we're
going to bring everybody together, from educators to students, experts
to business leaders. (Applause.) We are going to bring everybody
together to share innovative ideas about how we can help students earn
degrees and credentials, and to forge private sector partnerships so
we can better prepare America's workforce and America's workers to
succeed in the 21st century.
Now, to help open the doors of higher education to more students,
we'll also reinvest part of that $68 billion in savings in Pell
Grants, one of the most popular forms of financial aid. Pell Grants
once covered more than three-quarters of the cost of going to college.
But now, because the cost of college has skyrocketed, the amount Pell
Grants cover is about one-third.
Today, students hoping to attend college on a Pell Grant are going to
be able to feel more secure, because not only are we going to offer
over 800,000 additional Pell awards over the next 10 years, we're also
going to raise the amount they're worth to almost $6,000, so that
inflation doesn't erode the value of your grant. (Applause.)
And we'll put the entire Pell Grant program on firmer footing for
years to come. Altogether, we are more than doubling the amount of
Pell Grant funding that was available when I took office –- it's one
of the most significant investments in higher education since the G.I.
Bill. (Applause.)
Now, third, we're going to restore a measure of fairness to how
students repay their loans. Today, two out of every three students
graduates with help from a loan, and often they take on a mountain of
debt as a result. Here in Virginia, the typical student carries almost
$20,000 in debt. Across the country, the average student graduates
with over $23,000 in debt. I know what that's like. Michelle and I had
big debts coming out of school -- debts we weren't able to fully repay
until just a few years before I started running for office.
Today, we're making it easier for responsible students to pay off
their loans. Right now, if you're a borrower, you don't have to spend
more than 15 percent of your income on loans. But starting in 2014,
you won't have to pay more than 10 percent of your income in repaying
your student loans. (Applause.) That will make a meaningful difference
for over one million more students. We're also going to give students
an incentive to do what's right -- if you pay your loans on time,
you'll only have to pay them off for 20 years. And you'll only have to
pay them off for 10 years if you repay them with service to your
community, and to our country, as a teacher or a nurse or a member of
our Armed Forces. (Applause.)
Finally, we'll reinvest some of the $68 billion in savings to
strengthen our Historically Black Colleges and Universities and
Minority Serving Institutions. (Applause.) These are institutions that
have struggled more than most in these tough economic times.
The reforms in this bill are significant, but they're just part of a
broader effort to strengthen our entire higher education system. We're
putting college tuition tax credits in the pockets of millions of
students from working families to help them pay for college. We've
taken steps to simplify the federal college assistance form -– called
the FAFSA -– because it shouldn't take a PhD to apply for financial
aid. (Applause.) And we're helping ensure that America's high school
graduates are ready for college. All of this is paid for. We're
redirecting money that was poorly spent to make sure we're making
investments in our future.
Now, this won't solve all of our problems in higher education. We
continue to expect colleges and universities to do their part to hold
down tuition increases. (Applause.) That has to happen. We've got to
work on that. And we also need to take greater initiative not only to
help more students enter college, we've got to make sure that we see
more students successfully earn a college degree. But what we've done
over the past year represents enormous progress.
So I'll close by saying this. For a long time, our student loan system
has worked for banks and financial institutions. Today, we're finally
making our student loan system work for students and our families. But
we're also doing something more.
From the moment I was sworn into office, I've spoken about the urgent
need for us to lay a new foundation for our economy and for our
future. And two pillars of that foundation are health care and
education, and each has long suffered from problems that we chose to
kick down the road.
With the bill I signed last week, we finally undertook meaningful
reform of our health care system. With this bill, and other steps
we've pursued over the last year, we are finally undertaking
meaningful reform in our higher education system. So this week, we can
rightly say the foundation on which America's future will be built is
stronger than it was one year ago. (Applause.)
And so at the end of this extraordinary week, I want to acknowledge
some of the people who made it possible. There isn't time to single
out everyone who's here, the outstanding members of Congress, but I
want to make sure I once again say this would not have happened had it
not been for the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- (applause) --
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- (applause) -- Senator Dick Durbin
and Congressman Steny Hoyer. All provided outstanding leadership that
our nation needed. (Applause.)
On health care, Max Baucus, Chris Dodd, Henry Waxman, Charlie Rangel,
and so many others offered invaluable expertise throughout the year.
(Applause.) Congressmen George Miller, Jim Clyburn, Dale Kildee, Ruben
Hinojosa led the way in the House on education reforms that I sign
today. (Applause.)
Senator Tom Harkin's dedication ensured that the Senate would include
these reforms in this bill. (Applause.) Virginia's own Bobby Scott,
and an outstanding freshman, Tom Perriello helped to make this thing
possible. (Applause.) We are grateful to them.
Courage is an essential ingredient in any landmark legislation,
particularly when the attacks are as fierce and unrelenting -- and
inaccurate -- (laughter) -- as they have been over the past year. I
just want to commend members of Congress who had the courage to do
what's right -- (applause) -- and to say a special thank you to all of
the newer members. (Applause.)
The past couple of years have brought one challenge after another, and
you've risen to the moment each time. I could not be prouder of the
work that all of you have done. And it would not have happened had it
not been for the incredible persistence and stick-to-itiveness of all
the folks in the audience here today.
Ultimately, Congress responds to the voices that they're hearing in
their communities, and so many of you have written letters and come to
meetings and let people know of the ordinary struggles that people are
going through each and every day. You're what provided members of
Congress the courage that they needed to do what was right. And so on
behalf of all of us who are serving in Washington, we want to thank
you, the American people, for your outstanding leadership. (Applause.)
And with that, I'm going to sign this bill. Thank you very much.
(Applause.)
(The bill is signed.) (Applause.)
END 11:32 A.M. EDT


Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
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