You know Bernie Sanders. He’s the openly “Socialist” senator from Vermont.

Michael Stratford of Inside Higher Ed reports.

Upping the Ante on Free

Senator Bernie Sanders is calling for a massive boost in federal higher education spending that would cut college tuition at public colleges and universities in half.

“We need a revolution in the way higher education is funded,” Sanders, an independent from Vermont, was to say in a speech Thursday night at the University of Iowa, according to prepared remarks provided by his office.

Sanders’s plan calls for the federal government to give $18 billion a year in dollar-for-dollar matching grants to states, which he says would allow them to slash public college tuition by 55 percent. He said this would apply to students at all public universities and colleges, effectively offering two free years to everyone, not just those at community colleges, like President Obama’s plan.

Although he did not outline how to pay for the plan, Sanders noted that the $18 billion is just a fraction of the increase in defense spending that Obama proposed this year.

His proposal stands virtually no chance in Congress, but represents the most ambitious higher education plan so far from a potential 2016 presidential contender.

Sanders also echoed a proposal by Senate Democrats to allow existing student loan borrowers to refinance their debt at lower interest rates. That bill, which failed to clear the Senate last summer, was spearheaded by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has been outspoken on student debt issues.