Walker's Wisconsin tuition idea shuffles political alliances

(AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to cut tuition at the University of Wisconsin and use taxpayer funds to pay for it is shaking up normal political alliances with some Democrats expressing support while skeptical fellow Republicans worry it could put the state on a path toward socialist Bernie Sanders' free college tuition plan.

[...] Walker appears to be the first Republican governor to promise taxpayer money to reduce the cost of university tuition.

The idea threatened to deepen a rift between Walker and some Wisconsin Republicans, who had already broken with him over the lack of money to pay for road construction and repair and are wary of diverting tax revenues to lower tuition.

While college affordability is an issue that resonates with both parties, there aren't any other governors who have floated a similar idea, said Andy Carlson, principal policy analyst at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association.

Policy makers in both parties have tried to come up with ways to tackle the nation's collective $1.3 trillion in student loan debt by offering debt forgiveness and other relief programs.

University officials were cautious in their initial comments about the idea, saying it's imperative that any cut be paid for with state aid.

Wisconsin's nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimated a 1 percent decrease in undergraduate tuition for all in-state undergraduate students would reduce UW System revenues by between $7 million and $8 million a year.