United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our 3 million members and the 50 million students they serve, we strongly urge you to VOTE NO on S. Con. Res. 33, the FY2026 budget resolution that would provide $72 billion to escalate violent immigration enforcement and build a palatial ballroom. Votes on this issue may be included in NEA’s report card for the 119th Congress.
The budget resolution fails to reflect the realities that are crushing America’s workforce, straining our public schools, and forcing families to do more with less. A gallon of gasoline costs 50 percent more than it did before the Iran war. Rising fuel and fertilizer costs are ruining farmers, driving up food prices, and making groceries unaffordable. Families with young children are being detained illegally, in squalid conditions. Instead of the public good, Congress is investing in a gilded ballroom rising from the rubble of the East Wing—an unmistakable symbol of excess and misplaced priorities.
The consequences of this approach are clear, and they are unacceptable. Students are sitting in classrooms fearful that their families could be torn apart, parents are disengaging from school events due to safety concerns, and communities are being destabilized—conditions incompatible with learning.
NEA has consistently raised alarms about overly aggressive immigration enforcement, especially on or near school grounds and in surrounding communities. Providing even more no-strings-attached funding for ICE and Border Patrol would merely intensify the harm already done.
While considering amendments during the vote-a-rama, we urge you to rethink national priorities and:
- VOTE YES on any that protect public education, SNAP and child nutrition programs, Medicaid and children’s healthcare, Medicare, or collective bargaining rights.
- VOTE YES on any that make clear Congress holds the power of the purse and that dollars appropriated by Congress cannot be withheld, delayed, or redirected.
- VOTE NO on any that cut or weaken investment in students, educators, or essential services.
- VOTE NO on any that cut public education, SNAP and child nutrition programs, Medicaid and children’s healthcare, Medicare, or other social services programs.
- VOTE NO on any that undermine undocumented students’ access to K-12 or higher education, including the institutions that serve them.
- VOTE NO on any that further expand ICE or Border Patrol funding or authority.
- VOTE NO on any that enact restrictive voter ID requirements or otherwise interfere with the freedom to vote, including proposals related to the SAVE America Act that create unnecessary barriers for eligible voters; disproportionately harm communities of color or people with disabilities; or undermine a fair, inclusive, and accessible democracy.
- VOTE NO on any that impose burdensome reporting requirements; add new fiscal penalties for states; restrict eligibility for public benefits program funding; or prevent federal agencies from prioritizing access to basic needs like public education, childcare, healthcare, and food assistance.
Your vote on this issue is a defining choice. Increasing support for ICE and Border Patrol without meaningful reforms will continue to inflict harm on our children, our communities, and our public education system.
Please VOTE NO on the FY2026 budget resolution.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Johnson Trinca
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
