WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Administration’s budget reconciliation bill, which includes several harmful provisions for America’s students, educators, and families. Among these are: a $20 billion voucher program engineered to funnel public funds to private schools, measures to limit student access to higher education, narrowed new eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and sweeping changes to Medicaid threatening healthcare coverage for nearly 14 million Americans.
In response, National Education Association President Becky Pringle issued the following statement:
“The House passed a bill that will devastate our schools and communities—all to finance massive tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. The consequences will be catastrophic. It’s page after page of measures prioritizing billionaires over children, healthcare, and working families. From start to finish, it is a betrayal of the values we hold as a nation committed to opportunity, equity, and justice.”
“Let’s be clear about the consequences: when Congress guts Medicaid to give tax breaks to billionaires, millions stand to lose healthcare. When they slash meal programs, children will go hungry. Counselors and nurses will vanish from our schools. When they redirect public dollars to fund private school vouchers, they weaken public education and limit opportunities for students. They siphon crucial funding from public schools—serving 90 percent of students—and redirect it to private institutions with no accountability. Access to affordable, quality higher education will slip further out of reach for countless students.
“This budget is a blueprint for long-term decline: sick children, hungry students, shattered futures—and a society that will bear the cost for generations to come. If this budget becomes reality, it won’t just mark a political failure—it will mark a moral one. This is not leadership—it’s abandonment, and our communities deserve better.
“We must stand together, raise our voices, and demand a future that puts students, families, and working people first. Our children and our families cannot afford for any of us to stay silent.”
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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org
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