Topic: U.S. Congress

AFT president speaks out against problems with student loan forgiveness program

Publish Date: September 28, 2018

Eleven years ago, Congress created the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program to forgive the education debts of borrowers who dedicate a decade of their lives to jobs in the public sector--including teachers--and who make ongoing payments for those 10 years. Texas AFT and our national affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers, have included the program as one of the components...

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Write your members of Congress and urge them to oppose this voucher scheme

Publish Date: May 2, 2018

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is at it again. Along with her friends from the Heritage Foundation and Republicans in Congress, she’s trying to push her failed voucher scheme on military families. These voucher proponents are leading an effort to create “education savings accounts”—otherwise known as private school vouchers—for military-connected students. Bills to accomplish this have been introduced in...

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Congress passes budget rejecting Trump/DeVos attacks on public education

Publish Date: March 22, 2018

The U.S. House today finally passed a long-overdue spending bill for fiscal year 2018 that thoroughly rejects the pro-voucher, budget-cutting agenda espoused by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and the Trump administration. The U.S. Senate is expected to vote the spending package through as well. As Education Week reported, “Lawmakers sent a message to President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary...

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Help celebrate Public Schools Week by showing your pride

Publish Date: March 9, 2018

AFT President Randi Weingarten reminds us to take pride in our work by celebrating Public Schools Week, which runs from March 12-16: Public schools in America are foundational to our democracy, and to our economy. Public schools in America are the only institution that promises to help all children—regardless of who they are or where they’re from—realize their dreams and...

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You can vote early in party primaries, starting February 20; Have your say on draft corrective-action plan for special education

Publish Date: February 20, 2018

You can vote early in party primaries, starting February 20: Early voting in the 2018 Republican and Democratic March 6 primaries that will help decide who governs this state and nation begins February 20 and runs through March 2. See Texas AFT’s election page for recommendations in key contested races in both parties: https://www.texasaft.org/action/elections/texas-aft-endorsements-for-the-march-6-primaries/. Make your plans now to get...

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Urgent: Tell Congress—Reject corporate tax cuts at expense of working Americans

Publish Date: November 15, 2017

On Thursday the U.S. House is expected to vote on a disastrous tax bill that gives huge tax breaks to the wealthiest 1 percent and to corporations while raising taxes on 38 million working families and vastly increasing federal debt. This rewrite of the federal tax code redistributes income in favor of the wealthiest in our society and forces cuts in...

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