Statement by Edward J. McElroy,
President, American Federation of Teachers,
On FY07 Budget for Education, Healthcare

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Budget proposals expose empty rhetoric by providing transparency about the true priorities of an administration.  President Bush's FY2007 budget proposal fails to reflect his stated commitment to making America more competitive.  Unfortunately today’s budget proposal ignores the needs of students, the elderly, the poor, and the disabled by advocating draconian cuts to programs that would assist them.  This is not the first time President Bush has pledged federal assistance for those in need only to later renege on his promises.

The White House's budget ax slashes scores of beneficial education programs that are helping make a real difference in closing the achievement gap.  The cuts in education are all the more egregious because they come as annual testing of third- through eighth-graders, required under the No Child Left Behind Act, is just beginning.  Most outrageous is the President's disregard for the impact that cuts in Title I funding would have on our most disadvantaged students.  If his abysmally low funding level is approved, 29 states would lose Title I funding and another seven would see no increase. 

Instead of providing teachers and schools with the tools to help struggling students succeed, for the second year in a row the President underfunds bedrock programs, such as Title I for disadvantaged students and IDEA for disabled students.  The budget eliminates then transfers funding from dozens of effective programs into a new $100 million voucher program for private schools.  There is absolutely no reason why this money shouldn’t be given to the public schools for the programs that we already know are working to raise student achievement.   

The President's cuts in student loans will preclude millions of low- and middle-income students from attending college.  Even as the President talks about the importance of making American students more competitive in math and science, his student loan cuts are likely to prevent students from affording higher education in those and other fields.  

Finally, it is unconscionable that the President wants to make severe cuts in the Medicare program, which will harm thousands of elderly Americans by cutting an important lifeline to healthcare.  The cuts will also reduce reimbursements to hospitals, affecting healthcare professionals and their patients nationwide.  Congress cannot allow this to happen.

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