AOC Calls for ‘Tuition-Free Public Colleges and Universities’ to Combat Higher Education Costs

EXCERPT:

OCASIO-CORTEZ: “the best thing that we can do to rein in runaway costs at private institutions is by having fixed, affordable, high quality services of public institutions. (Applause) Which means tuition-free public colleges and universities across the United States of America. (Cheering and Applause) And for anyone who says — for anyone who wants to say that that’s pie in the sky and unrealistic and just another expensive progressive wish list, this is literally what baby boomers gave themselves. (Applause) Public colleges in America were tuition-free. They were tuition-free in the 60s and in the 70s. And just like many things, like public housing and public education, you know when they started to get defunded? They got defunded when they started to get integrated, racially integrated. (Cheering and Applause) When public housing was homogenous, it was well-funded. And then when public housing became racially integrated, we started seeing capital flight — the same thing with public colleges and universities. (Applause) And so, one of the best things that we can do in making colleges, public institutions tuition-free is that it helps rein in these predatory private institutions that want to say the only way for you to have a shot at life is if you’re paying 100 grand a year to pay — to go to a school where a lot of that money isn’t even going to your professors, your TAs, and people who are trying to actually invest in that educational experience for you.”