First Lady Dr. Jill Biden recently delivered remarks to the National Education Association in Phoenix, Arizona. However, some pro-Palestine attendees walked out of the speech, seemingly in protest of the Biden administration’s stance toward the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A number of educators silently exited the venue, where some were reportedly wearing stickers that said “Free Palestine.” Biden did not address the educators who left during her speech, where she drew attention to issues such as vouchers, which allow students to attend private schools.
Biden also railed against conservative efforts to “censor books” in public schools, as the left often frames it. In recent years, parents across the nation have raised concerns about the content found in some libraries, which often pertains to sexually explicit literature many deem inappropriate for an educational setting.
The First Lady also made it a point to criticize former President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and call for increased educator pay. The Phoenix speech in front of hundreds of teachers from around the country is part of President Biden’s broader effort to address the educational system’s needs. “We need you Arizona,” Jill Biden told the educators.
The president’s wife also called for community college education to be “free in America” during comments at the commencement address to the class of 2024 ad Mesa Community College in Arizona. “On behalf of President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the Second Gentleman: Congratulations, Class of 2024, we are so proud of you,” she said.
Biden further highlighted her role as an educator. During her husband’s presidency, she served at a Virginia community college. “I teach at a community college for the same reason students go to community colleges. They’re flexible and meet people where they are. And, as my husband, President Biden, says, they provide the ‘best career training in America,” she said.
While applauding the school’s efforts to meet the financial needs of its students, where some eligible students can attend the institution without paying registration fees or tuition, Biden expressed that no one should have to pay for community college. “Community colleges should be free in America,” she said.
However, Jill Biden’s comments have been met with criticism amid the ever-increasing national debt, which now exceeds $34 trillion per the latest report from the Treasury Department. As the nation’s debt obligations to its creditors continue to mount, the Biden administration faces backlash for continual efforts to provide handouts, such as the cancelation of roughly $430 billion in student debt.
Last year, the Supreme Court thwarted Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, ruling 6-3 that federal law does not permit United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona from canceling hundreds of billions in debt.
Despite this, some have questioned how far Biden will go in reallocating the burden of consumer debt to American taxpayers. For example, Michigan Republican Rep. Lisa McClain claimed the Biden administration sees itself as “above the law” and pondered whether the president might even try to forgive auto loans next.
“Mr. Secretary, President Biden’s Department of Education has canceled $153 billion in student loans, with plans to cancel $1.4 trillion. The House of Representatives said no – We actually passed legislation on that – The Senate said no. The Fifth Circuit Court said no. And the highest court in the land, the Supreme Court, said no,” McClain said.