Buttigieg Backs Debt-Free College

South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg called Thursday for free tuition at public colleges for students from middle-income families and debt-free college for low-income students in a higher ed platform posted to his website.

Buttigieg, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said he would back a federal-state partnership to make public colleges affordable. He also called for more dedicated support -- without offering details -- for historically black colleges and minority-serving institutions.

And he said he would "confront" student loan debt and apply "strict standards" to for-profit colleges, among other higher ed policies.

Buttigieg drew headlines in April for his refusal to back free college in an appearance at Northeastern University. He said instead that the federal government should expand the size of Pell Grants and encourage states to spend more on higher ed.