Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers, Testifies at Congressional Hearing On Economic Recovery, Job Creation and Investment in America

WASHINGTON – AFT President Randi Weingarten today urged Congress to invest in jobs, education and healthcare as part of the federal response to current economic difficulties. 

Testifying on Capitol Hill at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on economic recovery, job creation and investment in America, Weingarten, head of the 1.4 million-member union, said, “The simple fact is this: Education and the economy are intertwined. Neither is strong when the other is weak.”

“Difficult times demand bold action. The boldest action that you can take now is the simplest: Invest in the foundations of our country’s strength—jobs, education and healthcare,” Weingarten added.

Weingarten laid out AFT members’ most immediate priorities for a federal economic recovery plan that will stop the irreparable damage to our nation’s citizens, including our children:  to get people back to work, to provide fiscal relief to the states and localities, and to invest in infrastructure, including school construction.

A complete transcript of Weingarten’s testimony is available at www.aft.org/presscenter/WeingartenWaysandMeansTestimony.pdf.

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