Becky Pringle President of National Education Association | Official Website
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Administration's budget reconciliation bill. The bill includes a $20 billion voucher program intended to direct public funds to private schools, restrictions on student access to higher education, new eligibility criteria for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and changes to Medicaid that could affect healthcare coverage for nearly 14 million Americans.
National Education Association President Becky Pringle responded with a 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."
Pringle further highlighted potential outcomes: "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."
She added that this budget represents "a blueprint for long-term decline: sick children, hungry students, shattered futures—and a society that will bear the cost for generations to come." Pringle warned that if enacted, this budget would signify not just political failure but also moral failure.
Pringle concluded by urging collective action: "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."
The National Education Association represents over 3 million educators across various levels in the United States.
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