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Jill Biden slammed for breaking campaign promise of 'free' community college education

The FLOTUS said she was 'disappointed' to learn that one of her key legislative goals was cut from the 'Build Back Better' agenda

The Bidens were slammed on social media after First Lady Jill Biden broke the news that over five million students will ultimately not be getting two free years of school as promised during the 2020 election.

The FLOTUS, 70, revealed on Monday, February 7, that she was "disappointed" to learn that one of her key legislative goals of providing free community college education was cut from President Joe Biden's 'Build Back Better' agenda. The move was expected to allocate more than $45 million to waive two years of tuition for students. The funding was slated to last five years before decreasing by five percent every subsequent year.

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"Congress hasn't passed the Build Back Better agenda -- yet. And free community college is no longer a part of that package. We knew this wouldn't be easy - Joe has always said that," Jill said in a statement. "Still, like you, I was disappointed because like you, these aren’t just bills or budgets to me, to you, right? We know what they mean for real people, for our students. And it was a real lesson in human nature that some people just don’t get that."

Social media was inundated with criticisms of the Biden administration for failing to live up to 2020's campaign promises. "Four years ago, under a Republican proto-fascist president, abortion rights were at risk and there was no government help with student loans or college bills (and no hope of it). In 2022, under an alleged Democrat, all of those things are still true," writer Heidi Moore tweeted.

"Biden really just giving up on free community college—and hasn't touched student loans despite enormous executive authority over them," human rights lawyer Bassam Khawaja added. "Jill Biden's press release on yet another one of Joe Biden's broken campaign [promises] - no community college due to congressional failure - should immediately prompt the question of why he is refusing to cancel student loan debt, something he can do now via executive order w/o congress," a Twitter user offered. "Hahaha so that’s gone as well student loan forgiveness. So much for those promises. Why trust any politician? Especially one running for election," another chimed in

Jill, who is herself a teacher, has relentlessly pushed for free community college for eligible students across the nation. She made waves last February when she said access to schools was essential to help citizens through the economic slump caused by Covid-19. “We have to get this done. And we have to do it now. That’s why we’re going to make sure that everyone has access to free community college and training programs. We’re going to make sure students have the support they need to cross that finish line. We're going to invest in programs that prepare our workers for jobs of the future,” Jill said at the time.

Last month, however, her husband told reporters that he wasn't sure whether that part of his spending proposal would pass the Senate floor. "There's two really big components that I feel strongly about that I'm not sure I can get in the package. One is the child care tax credit, and the other is help for the cost of community colleges," Biden said.

While expressing her disappointment, Jill likened Capitol Hill arguments to those at sporting events. "Too often, we treat what happens in our nation's capital like a sports game too -wondering which team will score the most points with voters. Legislation becomes a football to keep away from the other side, and Americans get lost in the playbook," she said. "Governing does have one thing in common with sports. When you get knocked down, you get back up. When you lose, you work harder and you come back for more," the FLOTUS added, promising that she and the President would continue to push for free community college education.