Elizabeth Warren responds to new Pete Buttigieg ad airing in Iowa that criticizes free college tuition for all

Kim Norvell | The Des Moines Register

WATERLOO, Ia. — In response to a new television ad airing in Iowa, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she wants to provide tuition-free college to every American as "an investment in an entire generation of young people."

The senator from Massachusetts was responding to a reporter's question about an ad by South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg that says he will not provide free college tuition to the children of millionaires.

As Democratic candidates for president, both have released plans that would provide free college tuition, but have different ideas on who would qualify — Buttigieg's for families earning less than $100,000; Warren's "for anybody who wants an education," she said Sunday at a town hall in Waterloo. Buttigieg would also provide "substantial" tuition subsidies for students whose families earn up to $150,000.

Both candidates' plans would be paid for by raising taxes on the wealthy.

"I believe we should move to make college affordable for everybody," he says in the ad, which began airing on Thanksgiving in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids markets. "There are some voices saying, 'Well, that doesn't count unless you go even further — unless it's even free for the kids of millionaires.' But I only want to make promises that we can keep."

He does not mention by name Warren or Bernie Sanders, the United States senator from Vermont, who also wants to provide free college for all. The ad was criticized in a series of tweets by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has endorsed Sanders, as a "GOP talking point used to dismantle public systems."

In Iowa on Sunday, Warren said she believes the country should make an investment in universal public education — from pre-kindergarten to post-high school — so that all children can see public education as a "first-rate alternative" regardless of income.

"Because that's how we build a future full of opportunity," she said.

Warren's plan would be paid for by her signature wealth tax — a 2% tax on fortunes above $50 million and an additional 1% tax on fortunes above $1 billion.

"Right now, they're not paying (a) fair share of their taxes, and if they pitch in that two cents, we can provide the money for an investment in an entire generation of young people," she said. "And I think that's exactly what we should do."

Buttigieg would pay for his plan with a 1% capital gains tax on the richest Americans.

Both candidates' education plans have several layers to them, including some similarities.

Both would expand Pell Grants to pay for non-tuition fees like housing, food and books — Buttigieg would invest $120 billion over 10 years, while Warren has pledged $100 billion over the same time. And both would invest $50 billion in historically black colleges and universities.

Warren's plan would wipe away $50,000 in student loan debt for households making less than $100,000 a year. That number gets incrementally smaller as salaries increase, up to $250,000 a year, when relief stops.

Buttigieg proposes enrolling people struggling to pay their student loans in an income-driven repayment plan that would be automatically canceled after 20 years.

"Look, what I'm proposing is plenty bold," he says in the ad. "I mean, these are big ideas."

Kim Norvell covers growth and development for the Register. Reach her at knorvell@dmreg.com or 515-284-8259.

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