individual market and the exchanges. guest: that may happen. the new law would require -- it would prohibit people from being denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. many employers currently feel that they must provide coverage for their workers, because they do not have a viable market to go and buy especially if they or a member of their family has a pre-existing condition. some say, maybe i should give money to my employee and let them go into the fix -- health exchanges and by what they want. -- buy what they want. most of the positive government, better quality, wallace, has been driven by employers in the

marketplace and demanding these kinds of changes. a button that mice -- might be lost when you look at the equation. host: thank you very much for helping us understand some of this this morning. guest: thank you. host: we will take a look at what is on a be"washington journal tomorrow -- on the "washington journal" tomorrow. and the steven will look at how presidents learn the job of the presidency. .

thanks for joining us. we will see you tomorrow at 7:00 eastern. host: calle[captioning performey national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2010] . .

>> this week on america and the courts, in court on a hypothetical case on whether someone can be denied a vexing. -- a vaccine. america and the courts today at 7:00 p.m. eastern here on c- span. c-span -- >> c-span, our public affairs content is available on television, radio and online and you can also connect with those on twitter, facebook, and youtube, and son of for schedule e-mails at c-span.org. >> president obama, a bill into law that makes changes to the recently passed health care bill and allows government to extend

recommending to college students, eliminating the role of commercial banks. we begin with comments by jill biden, the wife of vice president joe biden. this is about 35 minutes. >> ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president of the united states, accompanied by a doctor jill -- accompanied by dr. jill biden. [applause]

>> 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 almost 16 years. in fact, amending procedure right here on this campus. [cheers and applause] it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to northern virginia community college. [applause] last week, our president signed a health care bill that will provide quality, affordable care to millions of americans. [applause] today, we are here to celebrate another historic piece of legislation, one that will make a college education a a a

reality for millions of middle- class americans. -- flintoff isikoff a college education a reality for millions of middle class of -- one that will make a college education a reality for millions of middle- class americans [applause] to many american families, they have 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, their malaise across the country will find it a little easier -- 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 that need it most. the expansions in pell grants will provide a critical support to millions of middle-class americans who are struggling with the cost of college. the caps on student loan payments will ensure that our students do not go broke because they choose to pursue a college education. and i am particularly thrilled that this bill invest in community colleges across the our country so that more students can gain the knowledge

and technical jobs 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, and prepare our students for the work force 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 will

need to invest in these students and invest in the colleges that they will attend. the bill the president obama is citing here today is a huge step forward -- is signing here today is a huge step forward toward our goal. i can give a better investment in america's future. i am proud to be a community college instructor and i am especially proud and honored to introduce a president that is making higher education and a reality for millions more americans. please welcome president barack obama. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you, alexandria. thank you very much.

thank you very much. thank you. thank you so much. thank you. thank you, everybody. please, have a seat. thank you, dr. baden for the outstanding introduction and for putting up -- thank you, dr. biden, for that outstanding direction and for putting up with joe. [laughter] i also want to thank dr. brightobide han biden for beine of the south -- thousands of instructors that invest in community colleges every day. [applause] i want to thank the entire enova community college family for

hosting us here today. you can applause for that. [applause] on stage we have a couple about my caucus and cabinet members, secretary sebelius, and the secretary arne duncan. please give them a 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 round of applause. [applause] to all of the outstanding members of congress that made this day possible, and i'm going to mainly sing aloud praises to speaker nancy pelosi --

[cheers and applause] today, we market and 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 that we needed to answer is 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 or lobbyists will continue to hold sway like they have done it many times before. and that is a test of the next

one week ago when health insurance reform became the law of the land in the united states of america. [applause] and it is a test we met later in the week when congress passed a higher education reforms that will have a tremendous impact on working families and america's future. that is two major victories in one week that will improve the lives of our people for generations to come [applause] but i have said this before, and the health insurance bill will not fix ever problem with our health care system in one fell swoop, but does represent some major steps forward toward

giving the 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 gotthavet a society there, in committee that is going to help you get back on your feet. today, i am signing a bill that will make a number of improvements to the score reforms. it will 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 to under $50 to seniors who fall in the coverage got known as the -- $250 to seniors who fall in the coverage gap known as the tunnel to vote with their coverage -- known as the

doughnut hole to help with their coverage. we will provide primary care to people who need it most. [applause] and we will strengthen efforts to combat waste and fraud and abuse to make sure your dollars are not 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 has gone on for generations, and i am gratified that we were able to get it done last week. but what has gotten overlooked amid all the hoopla and 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 the -- to an end. you see, for almost -- [cheers and applause] for almost two decades we have been trying to fix a sweetheart deal in federal law that essentially gave billions of dollars to banks to act as an unnecessary middleman in administering and student loans. those are billions of dollars i 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 then heading pockets. it probably will not surprise you that the financial institutions and big banks hired an army to protect the status quo. in fact, sallie mae spent to

promote -- spent $3 million on lobby last year alone. but i did not stand with the financial industries in this fight. but is not why i came to washington, and neither is a the reason for any members of congress here today. we stood with you, with america's the students. [applause] and together, we finally won that battle. i do not have to tell folks here s nova why this with three matters. in the 20th century when the success of every american hinges ever-more than ever on the quality of their education, and when america's success rests more than ever on the education of a second to none, we cannot afford to waste millions of dollars to banks. and when you to invest in our

students, our community colleges, in the future of this country. we need to meet the goal i set last year, and graduate more about our students than any other nation by the year 2020. and through the extraordinary leadership of education secretary arne duncan, that is what the reforms i am off signing today help us do. [applause] hawes by cutting out the middleman, we will save american taxpayers -- by cutting out the middleman, we will save american taxpayers $68 billion. $68 billion, that is real money. [laughter] real savings that: region -- that we will reinvest to make a a quality education more affordable. we have already taken a number of steps through the recovery act and through my budget to

significantly increase the support provided to the young people attending colleges and universities across the country. president templin handed me a sheet when i walked in, just in case you are wondering whether this makes a difference. so far this year -- and the year is not over -- right here at nova, bell grant recipients increased by 41% 41pell grant -- pell grant recipients increased or 41% last year. the total dollar amount increased by 59%. the number of federally guaranteed loans increased by 43%, and loan towards increased by 68%. that is right here at this one committee college because of the steps we have already taken.

-- community college because of the steps we have already taken. [applause] using the $68 billion that had already been going to the banks, here's what we will do. first, we will invest the portion of those savings to upgrade our community colleges, which are one of the undervalued assets in our education system. [applause] community colleges like nova are incredibly important because they serve a varied group of learners from a recent high- school graduates seeking a pathway to a of a college degree to adults seeking a job training for tomorrow. by forging private sector partnerships, community colleges can offer the education and training they need to find a good job when they graduate. and it helps out -- offer businesses the assurance they need all the graduates are ready to do the jobs that they are

hired to do. and because community colleges are essential to make competitive work force, i have asked dr. joe biden -- dr. joe biden to post a summit -- dr. jill biden to host a summit on what we're going to do. [applause] we're willing to bring everybody together to share ideas on what we can do to help students earn degrees and skills to succeed in the 21st century. to help all of the doors of higher education to more students, we will also reinvest part of the $68 billion in savings in programs, -- pell grants, one of the most popular forms of financial aid.

now because the cost of college has skyrocketed, the amount that they cover is about one-third. today, students hoping to attend college on pell grants are going to feel more secure because not only will be offered a about 800,000 additional awards over the next 10 years, we will also raise their worth to about $6,000 so that inflation does not ruin the value of your brand. [applause] -- of your criticgranbt. [applause] and we will put the entire program tpell grant funding on o come. it is one of them was significant investments since the daigle. [applause] -- the gi bill.

[applause] third, we will restore a measure of fairness to house do not repay their loans. today, two out of every three students graduates with help from alone and often, they take on a mountain of debt as a result. here in virginia, the typical student carries almost 20,000 in debt -- $20 in debt. across the nation, the average is a -- $20,000 in debt. across the nation, the average is $23,000 in debt. michele and i know and this firsthand. today, we're making it easier for responsible students to pay off their loans. and right now, if you are responsible our work, you do not have to spend 15% of your home loans. a starting in 2014, you will not have to spend a 10% of your

income repaying your student loans. [applause] that will make a meaningful difference for over 1 million more students. we're also going to give students an incentive to do what is right. if you pay your loans on time, you only have to pay them off for 20 years, and you only have to pay them off for 10 years if you repay them for -- with the service to your community and to our country as a teacher, a nurse, or a member of our armed forces. [applause] finally, we will reinvest some of our $68 billion to strengthen minority 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 are just part of a broader effort to strengthen our entire higher education system. we're putting college tuition tax credits in the pockets of students to help them pay for college. we have taken steps to simplify the fafsa does it should not take a ph.d. to apply for financial -- financial aid. [applause] and we are helping ensure that america's high school graduates are ready for college. all of this is paid for. we are redirecting money that was poorly spent to make sure we are in -- making investments in our future. this will not solve all of our problems in higher education. we continue to expect colleges and universities to do their part to hold down tuition increases.

that has to happen. we have got to work on that. [applause] we also need to take greater initiatives to not just help more students enter college, but that they successfully earn a college degree. before we have done over the past year represents an enormous progress. i will close in saying this, for a long time, our system has worked for banks and financial institutions. today, we're making our student loan system work for individuals and families. from the moment i was sworn into office, i have spoken about the urgent need to lay a new foundation for our economy and our future. two pillars of the foundation our health care and education, and each has long suffered from problems we chose to kick down the road. with the bill isi last week we finally took meaningful action to reform our health-care

system we're finally taking meaningful reform in our higher education system. we can say that the foundation on which america's future will be billed is stronger than it was when year ago -- will be built is stronger than it was one year ago. [applause] so, at the end of this extraordinary week, i want to knowledge some of the people that made it possible. there is not time to single out to everyone who is your -- outstanding members of congress -- but i want to make sure that i say this would not have happened if it were not 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 -- needed. [applause] on health care, max baucus, chris dodd, henry waxman, and charlie rangel and so many others offer expertise throughout the year. congressman george miller, jim cliburn, ruben hinojosa lead the house . senator tom harkin's dedication