Recent events underscore the gap—actually, it’s more like a chasm—between two visions for education now before Congress.
In testimony before the House Appropriations Committee last week, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stressed that the Biden administration’s FY2025 education budget prioritizes students, educators, and public schools. It also calls for universal preschool, a national paid leave program, and reinstating the expanded child tax credit that cut child poverty in half.
In contrast, the Republican Study Commission’s FY2025 budget proposal slashes education funding and makes higher education even more unaffordable, severely limiting public service loan forgiveness and income-based repayment. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are on the chopping block as well.
This is happening even as millions of public servants are robbed of Social Security benefits by the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). Here are the stories of educators in this position, courtesy of the Connecticut Education Association.
The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82/S. 597), which fully repeals GPO/WEP, has strong bipartisan support in both chambers—313 cosponsors in the House and 53 in the Senate. This week, the House Ways and Means Committee is holding a hearing on the issue.
You can help too! Tell your GPO/WEP story in a Microsoft Word document that complies with formatting requirements and send it to WMSubmission@mail.house.gov by the close of business on Tuesday, April 30.
In solidarity,
Marc Egan
Government Relations Director
National Education Association
CHEER:Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced Senate companion to the Codifying SAVE Plan Act (S. 4058) to give related regulations the force and effect of enacted law.
CHEER:Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) are leading a “Dear Colleague” letter requesting robust funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act in the FY2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill.
CHEER:Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) reintroduced the NEA-endorsed Climate Change Education Act (S. 4117/H.R. 7946) to establish a Climate Change Education Program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
