Dear Commons Community,
Hillary Clinton blasted Governor Scott Walker yesterday for his policies in Wisconsin that “slashed the state’s investment in higher education”. As reported in The Huffington Post:
“Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton highlighted the education record of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) at a town hall in New Hampshire on Tuesday, contrasting her plan to alleviate student debt with the policies of the Republican presidential primary field.
Walker’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, which he announced in January, included a 13 percent cut in state funds to the University of Wisconsin system and a $127 million cut in public primary school funding. The Republican presidential candidate called the $300 million in cuts for the university network “manageable,” though his plan was met with bipartisan criticism and layoff predictions.
Walker seems “to be delighted in slashing investment in higher education in his state, in making it more difficult for students to get scholarships or to pay off their debt,” Clinton said, adding that he is also “eliminating the opportunities for young people who are doctors or dentists who actually work in underserved areas in return for having their debt relieved, ending scholarships for poor kids, [and] … rejecting legislation that would have made it tax deductible for you on your income tax to deduct the amount of your loan repayment.”
“I don’t know why he wants to raise taxes on students, but that’s the result,” Clinton added.
In her comments, Clinton referenced legislation that was backed by Democrats in the state legislature but was never sent to Walker’s desk. It would have helped borrowers refinance their student loans and deduct student loan payments from their state taxes.
Walker questioned whether the proposal was “more than just politics.”
The governor eliminated the loan forgiveness program Clinton mentioned, which was available to health care providers who worked in underserved communities for three or more years, in his proposed budget.”
I am glad to see the presidential candidates include higher education in their narratives. It is also quite possible that if the Republicans get over their present infatuation with Donald Trump, Scott Walker has a good chance to be the Republican nominee. Hillary Clinton is by far the frontrunner for the Democrats.
Tony
