Subject: Obama, Jill Biden at Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act Signing March 30, 2010
From: "Eric Schwerin" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>, "Beau Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Missy Owens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:45:22 -0400

Remarks: Obama, Jill Biden at Health Care and Education Reconciliation  
Act Signing March 30, 2010
Northern Virginia Community College
Alexandria, Virginia
11:04 A.M. EDT
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Fired up!
THE PRESIDENT: Fired up! (Laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Obama! (Laughter.)
DR. BIDEN: Good morning, everyone, and thank you for being here today.  
I'm Jill Biden and I am honored to be a community college instructor.  
(Applause.) I have been a teacher for almost three decades and a  
community college instructor for the past 16 years. In fact, I'm an  
English teacher right here on this campus. (Applause.) It's my great  
pleasure to welcome you all to Northern Virginia Community College.  
(Applause.)
Last week, our President signed an historic health care bill that will  
provide quality, affordable medical care for millions of Americans.  
(Applause.) Today we are here to celebrate another historic piece of  
legislation -- one that will make a college education a reality for  
millions of middle-class Americans. (Applause.)
All of us here today know that higher education is essential to the  
success of our children and vital to the economic future of our  
country. But too many American families, they've had to take on  
crushing debt to pursue a college degree. I see every day in my  
classroom just how hard my students work in order to pay their tuition  
bills. Often their family budgets are stretched to the limit. And when  
things get tough -- someone loses a job or a family member gets sick  
-- a college education is the first thing to go.
Thanks to the leadership of President Obama, our Vice President, and  
members of Congress here today, families across the country will find  
it a little easier to get to college and stay in college. (Applause.)
I am pleased to say that the reforms in this bill will make a huge  
difference to those Americans who need it most. The expansions in Pell  
Grants will provide critical financial support to millions of middle- 
class Americans who are struggling with the costs of college. The caps  
on student loan repayments will ensure that our students don't go  
broke because they chose to pursue a college education. And I am  
particularly thrilled that this bill invests in community colleges  
across our country so that more students can gain the knowledge and  
technical job skills that they need to compete and succeed.
I have seen firsthand the power of community colleges to change lives  
and serve as a gateway to opportunity for students at all stages of  
their lives and careers. This bill increases investments in community  
colleges around the country to help these institutions do what they do  
best -- prepare our students for the workforce of today and tomorrow.
The President has set an ambitious goal for higher education in this  
country. By 2020, we want America once again to have the highest  
proportion of college graduates in the world. (Applause.) To make this  
happen, we'll need to invest in these students and invest in the  
colleges that they will attend.
The bill that President Obama will sign here today is a huge step  
forward toward meeting our goal. I can't think of a better investment  
in America's future.
I'm proud to be here as a community college instructor, and I am  
especially proud and honored to introduce a President who is making  
higher education a reality for millions more Americans.
Please welcome President Barack Obama. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Alexandria! Thank you very much. (Applause.)  
Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. (Applause.)  
Please, have a seat.
Thank you, Dr. Biden, for that outstanding introduction and for  
putting up with Joe. (Laughter.) I want to also thank Dr. Biden for  
being one of the thousands of instructors all across the country who  
make such a difference in the lives of students each and every day. So  
we are very proud of you for that. (Applause.)
I want to thank President Templin and the entire NOVA Community  
College family for hosting us here today -- you can applaud for that.  
(Applause.)
On stage we've got a couple of my outstanding Cabinet members:  
Secretary Sebelius and Secretary Arne Duncan -- please give them a big  
round of applause. (Applause.) In the audience we've got Secretary  
Salazar of Interior; Secretary Donovan of HUD; and Ambassador Ron  
Kirk, our U.S. Trade Representative -- please give them a big round of  
applause. (Applause.)
To all the outstanding members of Congress who made this day possible  
-- and I'm going to mainly single out the amazing Speaker of the  
House, Nancy Pelosi. (Applause.)
Today, we mark an important milestone on the road to health insurance  
reform and higher education reform. But, more broadly, this day  
affirms our ability to overcome the challenges of our politics and  
meet the challenges of our time.
When I took office, one of the questions we needed to answer was  
whether it was still possible to make government responsive to the  
needs of everyday people, middle-class Americans, the backbone of this  
country; or whether the special interests and their lobbyists would  
continue to hold sway, like they've done so many times before. And  
that's a test we met one week ago, when health insurance reform became  
the law of the land in the United States of America. (Applause.)
And it's a test we met later in the week when Congress passed higher  
education reforms that will have a tremendous impact on working  
families -- and America's future. That's two major victories in one  
week that will improve the lives of our people for generations to  
come. (Applause.)
Now, I've said before and I've repeated this week the health insurance  
reform bill I signed won't fix every problem in our health care system  
in one fell swoop. But it does represent some of the toughest  
insurance reforms in history. It represents a major step forward  
towards giving Americans with insurance -– and those without -– a  
sense of security when it comes to their health care. It enshrines the  
principle that when you get sick, you've got a society there, a  
community, that is going to help you get back on your feet. It  
represents meaningful progress for the American people.
And today, I'm signing a bill that will make a number of improvements  
to these core reforms. We'll increase the size of tax credits to help  
middle-class families and small businesses pay for their health  
insurance. (Applause.)
We're going to offer $250 to seniors who fall in the Medicare coverage  
gap known as the doughnut hole to help them pay for prescriptions, and  
that's a first step towards closing that gap completely. (Applause.)
We'll make a significant new investment in community health centers  
all across America that can provide high-quality primary care to  
people who need it most. (Applause.) And we'll strengthen efforts to  
combat waste and fraud and abuse, to make sure your dollars aren't  
lining the pockets of insurance companies when they should be making  
your health care better. (Applause.)
Now, the debate on health care reform is one that's gone on for  
generations, and I'm glad -- I'm gratified that we were able to get it  
done last week. But what's gotten overlooked amid all the hoopla, all  
the drama of last week, is what happened in education -- when a great  
battle pitting the interests of the banks and financial institutions  
against the interests of students finally came to an end. (Applause.)
You see, for almost two decades, we've been trying to fix a sweetheart  
deal in federal law that essentially gave billions of dollars to banks  
to act as unnecessary middlemen in administering student loans. So  
those are billions of dollars that could have been spent helping more  
of our students attend and complete college; that could have been  
spent advancing the dreams of our children; that could have been spent  
easing the burden of tuition on middle-class families. Instead, that  
money was spent padding student lenders' profits.
Now, it probably won't surprise you to learn that the big banks and  
financial institutions hired a army of lobbyists to protect the status  
quo. In fact, Sallie Mae, America's biggest student lender, spent more  
than $3 million on lobbying last year alone.
But I didn't stand with the banks and the financial industries in this  
fight. That's not why I came to Washington. And neither did any of the  
members of Congress who are here today. We stood with you. We stood  
with America's students. (Applause.) And together, we finally won that  
battle.
I don't have to tell folks here at NOVA why this victory matters. In  
the 21st century, when the success of every American hinges more than  
ever on the quality of their education, and when America's success as  
a nation rests more than ever on an educated workforce that is second  
to none, we can't afford to waste billions of dollars on giveaways to  
banks.
We need to invest that money in our students. We need to invest in our  
community colleges. We need to invest in the future of this country.  
We need to meet the goal I set last year and graduate more of our  
students than any other nation by the year 2020. And through the  
extraordinary leadership of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, that's  
what the reforms I'm signing today will help us do. (Applause.)
By cutting out the middleman, we'll save American taxpayers $68  
billion in the coming years -- $68 billion. That's real money --  
(laughter) -- real savings that we'll reinvest to help improve the  
quality of higher education and make it more affordable.
Now, we've already taken a number of steps through the Recovery Act  
and through my budget to significantly increase the support provided  
to young people attending colleges and universities all across the  
country.
And I just -- President Templin handed me a sheet just as I walked in.  
Just in case you're wondering whether this makes a difference, so far  
this year -- and the year isn't over -- right here at NOVA, Pell Grant  
recipients increased by 41 percent over last year. (Applause.) The  
total dollar amount of Pell Grants increased by 59 percent. The number  
of federally guaranteed loans increased by 43 percent and loan awards  
increased by 68 percent. That's right here at this one community  
college, because of the steps that we had already taken. (Applause.)
So using the $68 billion that we're saving, that had been going to the  
banks, here's what we're going to be able to do. First, we will  
reinvest a portion of those savings to upgrade our community colleges,  
which are one of the great, undervalued assets in our education  
system. (Applause.)
Community colleges like NOVA are incredibly important because they  
serve a varied group of learners, from recent high school grads  
seeking a pathway to a college degree, to adults seeking training for  
the jobs of tomorrow. By forging private sector partnerships,  
community colleges can offer students the education and training they  
need to find a good job when they graduate -- and it helps offer  
businesses the assurance they need that graduates will be ready for  
the jobs that they're hired to do.
And because community colleges like NOVA are so essential to a  
competitive workforce, I've asked your outstanding professor, Dr. Jill  
Biden -- who does not have enough to do -- (laughter) -- to host a  
summit on community colleges at the White House this fall. And we're  
going to bring everybody together, from educators to students, experts  
to business leaders. (Applause.) We are going to bring everybody  
together to share innovative ideas about how we can help students earn  
degrees and credentials, and to forge private sector partnerships so  
we can better prepare America's workforce and America's workers to  
succeed in the 21st century.
Now, to help open the doors of higher education to more students,  
we'll also reinvest part of that $68 billion in savings in Pell  
Grants, one of the most popular forms of financial aid. Pell Grants  
once covered more than three-quarters of the cost of going to college.  
But now, because the cost of college has skyrocketed, the amount Pell  
Grants cover is about one-third.
Today, students hoping to attend college on a Pell Grant are going to  
be able to feel more secure, because not only are we going to offer  
over 800,000 additional Pell awards over the next 10 years, we're also  
going to raise the amount they're worth to almost $6,000, so that  
inflation doesn't erode the value of your grant. (Applause.)
And we'll put the entire Pell Grant program on firmer footing for  
years to come. Altogether, we are more than doubling the amount of  
Pell Grant funding that was available when I took office –- it's one  
of the most significant investments in higher education since the G.I.  
Bill. (Applause.)
Now, third, we're going to restore a measure of fairness to how  
students repay their loans. Today, two out of every three students  
graduates with help from a loan, and often they take on a mountain of  
debt as a result. Here in Virginia, the typical student carries almost  
$20,000 in debt. Across the country, the average student graduates  
with over $23,000 in debt. I know what that's like. Michelle and I had  
big debts coming out of school -- debts we weren't able to fully repay  
until just a few years before I started running for office.
Today, we're making it easier for responsible students to pay off  
their loans. Right now, if you're a borrower, you don't have to spend  
more than 15 percent of your income on loans. But starting in 2014,  
you won't have to pay more than 10 percent of your income in repaying  
your student loans. (Applause.) That will make a meaningful difference  
for over one million more students. We're also going to give students  
an incentive to do what's right -- if you pay your loans on time,  
you'll only have to pay them off for 20 years. And you'll only have to  
pay them off for 10 years if you repay them with service to your  
community, and to our country, as a teacher or a nurse or a member of  
our Armed Forces. (Applause.)
Finally, we'll reinvest some of the $68 billion in savings to  
strengthen our Historically Black Colleges and Universities and  
Minority Serving Institutions. (Applause.) These are institutions that  
have struggled more than most in these tough economic times.
The reforms in this bill are significant, but they're just part of a  
broader effort to strengthen our entire higher education system. We're  
putting college tuition tax credits in the pockets of millions of  
students from working families to help them pay for college. We've  
taken steps to simplify the federal college assistance form -– called  
the FAFSA -– because it shouldn't take a PhD to apply for financial  
aid. (Applause.) And we're helping ensure that America's high school  
graduates are ready for college. All of this is paid for. We're  
redirecting money that was poorly spent to make sure we're making  
investments in our future.
Now, this won't solve all of our problems in higher education. We  
continue to expect colleges and universities to do their part to hold  
down tuition increases. (Applause.) That has to happen. We've got to  
work on that. And we also need to take greater initiative not only to  
help more students enter college, we've got to make sure that we see  
more students successfully earn a college degree. But what we've done  
over the past year represents enormous progress.
So I'll close by saying this. For a long time, our student loan system  
has worked for banks and financial institutions. Today, we're finally  
making our student loan system work for students and our families. But  
we're also doing something more.
 From the moment I was sworn into office, I've spoken about the urgent  
need for us to lay a new foundation for our economy and for our  
future. And two pillars of that foundation are health care and  
education, and each has long suffered from problems that we chose to  
kick down the road.
With the bill I signed last week, we finally undertook meaningful  
reform of our health care system. With this bill, and other steps  
we've pursued over the last year, we are finally undertaking  
meaningful reform in our higher education system. So this week, we can  
rightly say the foundation on which America's future will be built is  
stronger than it was one year ago. (Applause.)
And so at the end of this extraordinary week, I want to acknowledge  
some of the people who made it possible. There isn't time to single  
out everyone who's here, the outstanding members of Congress, but I  
want to make sure I once again say this would not have happened had it  
not been for the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- (applause) --  
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid -- (applause) -- Senator Dick Durbin  
and Congressman Steny Hoyer. All provided outstanding leadership that  
our nation needed. (Applause.)
On health care, Max Baucus, Chris Dodd, Henry Waxman, Charlie Rangel,  
and so many others offered invaluable expertise throughout the year.  
(Applause.) Congressmen George Miller, Jim Clyburn, Dale Kildee, Ruben  
Hinojosa led the way in the House on education reforms that I sign  
today. (Applause.)
Senator Tom Harkin's dedication ensured that the Senate would include  
these reforms in this bill. (Applause.) Virginia's own Bobby Scott,  
and an outstanding freshman, Tom Perriello helped to make this thing  
possible. (Applause.) We are grateful to them.
Courage is an essential ingredient in any landmark legislation,  
particularly when the attacks are as fierce and unrelenting -- and  
inaccurate -- (laughter) -- as they have been over the past year. I  
just want to commend members of Congress who had the courage to do  
what's right -- (applause) -- and to say a special thank you to all of  
the newer members. (Applause.)
The past couple of years have brought one challenge after another, and  
you've risen to the moment each time. I could not be prouder of the  
work that all of you have done. And it would not have happened had it  
not been for the incredible persistence and stick-to-itiveness of all  
the folks in the audience here today.
Ultimately, Congress responds to the voices that they're hearing in  
their communities, and so many of you have written letters and come to  
meetings and let people know of the ordinary struggles that people are  
going through each and every day. You're what provided members of  
Congress the courage that they needed to do what was right. And so on  
behalf of all of us who are serving in Washington, we want to thank  
you, the American people, for your outstanding leadership. (Applause.)
And with that, I'm going to sign this bill. Thank you very much.  
(Applause.)
(The bill is signed.) (Applause.)
END 11:32 A.M. EDT

Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
[email-masked]
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