Publish Date: October 31, 2025 3:23 pm Author: Texas AFT
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Friday, October 31, 2025 (Happy Halloween!)
Beyond the Shutdown
As we brace for the deliberate lapse in SNAP benefits for millions of Americans, and as Head Start programs prepare to close from shutdown defunding, it’s important to remember what led us here: a proposed budget that would devastate the health and well-being of working Americans and vulnerable communities.
The battle to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits isn’t a trivial one – one that allows for a great compromise. ACA Marketplace premium costs would more than double if these credits were allowed to expire.
Meanwhile, the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year already containeddeep cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and other essential programs. Among the millions who rely on these programs: students and contingent faculty at our colleges and universities.
On Nov. 7, AFT and AAUP affiliates across the country will participate in a Higher Ed Day of Action with student groups.
Together, we are fighting for colleges and universities that are affordable and well-funded, welcoming and safe for all students, provide good-paying jobs with real security of employment for all academic workers, and protect academic freedom and freedom of expression.
Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson speaks at a 2024
rally against the Texas Education Agency’s takeover of Houston ISD.
When the Texas Education Agencyannounced its takeoverof Fort Worth ISD last week, it marked another flashpoint in a long-brewing conflict over who controls the future of Texas public schools: local communities or the state government in Austin.
The decision to replace Fort Worth’s elected school board with state-appointed managers followed a familiar script — one Houston ISD educators know all too well.
Faculty from across the state gathered last Saturday in the Rio Grande Valley for the Texas Higher Education Summit, hosted by Texas AAUP-AFT and the Texas Faculty Association, to face a hard truth: higher education in Texas is under coordinated political attack, and defending our rights, our work, and our students will require collective action like never before.
This year’s summit served as an opportunity for faculty to understand their rights and navigate the rapidly changing education landscape—one in which our higher education educators are being forced to defend not only their jobs, but the very idea of the university itself.
As the federal government shutdown drags on, millions of Texans are facing uncertainty over their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Without congressional action, payments could be delayed or halted in November, threatening food security for more than 3.4 million Texans, including 1.7 million children. Food banks and mutual aid groups across the state are stepping up to meet the growing demand.
Tuesday, November 4th, is your last opportunity to vote this election cycle. As always, the ballot is packed with important local and statewide decisions that will directly impact our communities, schools, and future.
Texans will also have the chance to shape our state’s Constitution on Election Day. Each of the 17 proposed amendments must receive support from a majority of voters for them to be adopted into the Texas Constitution. These measures cover a wide range of issues, from taxes and education to infrastructure, judicial reform, and parental rights.
Next week, Tesla’s board is coming to Austin. Texas labor and communities are rallying to stand up for our worker brothers and sisters — and to hold billionaires accountable.
Elon Musk’s reckless experiments in politics have hurt Tesla’s brand, driven down profits, and fueled union-busting. Now, instead of being held accountable, Tesla’s board is considering the largest corporate payout in history — nearly $100 billion per year for a decade.
We will not stand by while working families are left behind. The day before Tesla shareholders meet in Austin, we are rallying to send a clear message: Give Elon and his $1 trillion pay package the boot.Join the rally.
Recommended Reading
Education news from around the state and nation that’s worth your time.
📖 Texas Can’t Keep Up with Surge in Workers’ Wage Theft Complaints. Texas workers have long struggled with wage theft by their employers—and the state’s willingness and ability to crack down on scofflaw employers has been relatively minimal. Now, rates of suspected wage theft are increasing. (Texas Observer, Oct. 23
📖 The Lege’s ‘Big Government Intrusion’ into University Academics. Expanding on last session’s anti-DEI campus crackdown, some Republicans in the Legislature are now going after gender and ethnic studies programs and faculty independence. (Texas Observer, April 24)
🎧 The Shocking Billionaire Plot to Dismantle Public Education. Texas is on the verge of passing a law that could defund public education. Vouchers send public taxpayer dollars to private schools. It could cost taxpayers $10 billion by 2030. And it could destroy Friday Night Lights. (More Perfect Union, April 22)
This Education Department Official Lost His Job. Here’s What He Says Is at Risk. Fewer teachers. Incomplete data. Delays in addressing problems and getting financial aid information. Those are just some of the impacts Jason Cottrell, who worked as a data collector at the Department of Education for nine and a half years before being laid off along with more than a thousand other agency employees, warns the Trump Administration’s massive cuts to the department’s funding and workforce could have on the country’s education system. (Time, July 18)
This Education Department Official Lost His Job. Here’s What He Says Is at Risk. Fewer teachers. Incomplete data. Delays in addressing problems and getting financial aid information. Those are just some of the impacts Jason Cottrell, who worked as a data collector at the Department of Education for nine and a half years before being laid off along with more than a thousand other agency employees, warns the Trump Administration’s massive cuts to the department’s funding and workforce could have on the country’s education system. (Time, July 18)
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