Reforming student loans and making investments in community colleges and minority institutions. 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.