The Senate education committee has released its portion of H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill passed by the House. The Senate, like the House, would hike monthly student loan payments—making higher education even less affordable and accessible for millions of students.

How other NEA priorities fare—vouchers, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—will be revealed in the coming days. Several senators have said they will push for big changes, but neither clarity nor consensus has emerged.

H.R. 1 also provides $150 billion in largely unrestricted funds for expanded immigration enforcement. In Los Angeles, we got a preview of the chaos and heartbreak that will bring to families and communities.

President Trump called the protesters “insurrectionists” and said their actions met the definition of a rebellion. Then, without the consent of California Governor Gavin Newsom, he deployed thousands of troops and hundreds of Marines, ostensibly to protect federal buildings and personnel.

The last time a president federalized a state’s National Guard without a governor’s consent was 60 years ago, during the civil rights movement, when President Johnson summoned troops to protect civil rights advocates marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

In a stunning turn of events, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was wrestled to the ground and handcuffed when he tried to ask a question at a news conference conducted by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “If this is how this administration responds to a senator with a question, you can only imagine what they’re doing to farmers, to cooks, to day laborers,” Padilla said.

Now, the White House is promising “troops everywhere,” military-style raids in workplaces and communities, and over-the-top responses even to peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights.

Tell Congress what you think!

In solidarity,