11th Democratic Primary Debate: on Education

Joe Biden: Provide school lunch even if schools closed for pandemic

We have to have the best science in the world telling us what can stay open and what need be closed. Like I said earlier, the idea that we are closing schools, which I understand, but not being able to provide lunches for people who in fact need the school lunch program to get by.

I can understand the decision made to close places where a hundred or 50 people or more gather, but how do you deal with the things that necessarily have to be kept going and what's the way to do that? There should be a national standard for that. It should be coming out of the situation room right now.

Joe Biden: 12 years of education is not enough; we need 16 now, free

BIDEN: I've been saying for a long time that we're in a position where 12 years of education is not enough for the 21st century. We need 16 years of education. [I support] the exact bill that Senator Sanders introduced, a little over a year ago, capping it off at $125,000 in income. You could get free up to that point; after that, you'd have to pay for your college education. It worked for public schools, and it would work for public universities in your state. It was a good idea and I support it. Bernie happens to be right on that one.

Q: Senator Sanders, I assume you'd welcome these changes?

Bernie SANDERS: The difference between Joe and I on higher education is: four years ago, it was not a popular idea, Joe. Glad you're coming around now. Four years ago, when I said that public colleges and universities should be tuition free, people were saying, "Bernie, that's a radical idea." Well, you got states that are moving in that direction.