AFT Publishes Full Page New York Times Ad Opposing ‘Big, Ugly Betrayal’

WASHINGTON—Together with prominent activists, institutes, unions, legal experts and advocacy groups, the AFT published a full-page advertisement in the New York Times today slamming President Donald Trump’s “big, ugly betrayal,” the billionaire-first agenda that Republicans rammed through Congress at the expense of everyone else.

Cosigned by a coalition of 149 ideologically diverse and distinctive national organizations collectively representing tens of millions of people, the ad reveals how the law will line the pockets of the ultra-wealthy, while working families pay the price.

“This ad shows how Trump’s big, ugly betrayal takes food off the table, abandons public education, and erodes the social programs that support millions of hardworking Americans,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “Rural hospitals and communities will be hit especially hard—while the ultra-wealthy become even wealthier. The AFT and our allies know that we must organize, stand up and speak out together in solidarity to reverse the damage wrought by this appalling legislation.”

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Transcript:

THEY BETRAYED US.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS PROMISED TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR WORKING FAMILIES. INSTEAD, THEY PASSED THE SO-CALLED BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL—A MASSIVE TRANSFER OF WEALTH FROM WORKING AMERICANS TO BILLIONAIRES.

THIS CRUEL LAW WILL LEAVE MILLIONS SICKER, HUNGRIER AND POORER. IT SLASHES HEALTHCARE AND FOOD ASSISTANCE, DEFUNDS PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND HIGHER EDUCATION, SHUTTERS RURAL HOSPITALS, CUTS JOBS, TARGETS IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES AND EXPLODES THE NATIONAL DEBT—ALL TO PAY FOR TAX BREAKS FOR THE ULTRA-WEALTHY.

WE’RE APPALLED. WE’RE ANGRY. AND WE WON’T FORGET.

WE WILL REMEMBER WHO TURNED THEIR BACKS ON WORKING FAMILIES—AND WHO WE CAN COUNT ON TO FIGHT FOR US.

JOIN US. ORGANIZE. VOTE.

LET’S UNDO THE DAMAGE FROM THIS BIG BETRAYAL.

Under the new law, America’s public schools will rapidly lose funding as billions in taxpayer dollars are siphoned away to private schools through a national private school voucher scheme, college will be made unaffordable for millions, and hundreds of rural hospitals will be forced to close, as the rich enjoy extended tax breaks.

Despite the president’s rhetoric, the big, ugly betrayal is massively unpopular: Only 31 percent of registered voters support it, and the more the American people know about it, the more they reject it.

The signatories are:

1.           A Philip Randolph Institute

2.           Acacia Center for Justice

3.           AFL-CIO

4.           All4Ed

5.           Alliance for Retired Americans

6.           Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments

7.           Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools

8.           America’s Voice

9.           American Association of University Women (AAUW)

10.        American Atheists

11.        American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

12.        American Humanist Association

13.        American Jews for Democracy

14.        American Pride Rises

15.        Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF)

16.        Arab American Institute (AAI)

17.        Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance - AFL-CIO (APALA)

18.        Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

19.        Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents

20.        Becca Schmill Foundation

21.        Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

22.        Black Men Vote

23.        Brady: United Against Gun Violence

24.        Caring Ambassadors Program

25.        CBTU

26.        Center for American Progress Action Fund

27.        Central American Resource Center - CARECEN

28.        Children's Defense Fund

29.        Clearinghouse on Women's Issues

30.        Color Of Change

31.        CommonDefense.us

32.        Communications Workers of America

33.        Community Change Action

34.        Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI)

35.        Community Voices for Public Education

36.        Consumer Federation of America

37.        Court Accountability Action

38.        Democracy Defenders Action

39.        Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO

40.        Economic Security Project Action

41.        EdTrust

42.        Education Law Center

43.        Educators for Excellence

44.        El Rescate

45.        End Citizens United

46.        EPI Action

47.        Excessive Wealth Disorder Institute

48.        Fair Share America

49.        Families Over Billionaires

50.        Families USA

51.        Family Values @ Work

52.        Fast-Track Cities Institute

53.        Feminist Majority Foundation

54.        For Our Future Action Fund

55.        Fourth Branch Action

56.        Frontera Federation

57.        Fund for Leadership, Equity, Access and Diversity (LEAD FUND)

58.        GAIN Power

59.        GALEO Impact Fund, Inc.

60.        Groundwork Collaborative

61.        Human Rights Campaign

62.        International Association of Providers of AIDS Care

63.        International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)

64.        Japanese American Citizens League

65.        Journey for Justice Alliance

66.        Just Solutions: Bringing In Justice

67.        KAIROS DEMOCRACY PROJECT

68.        Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)

69.        League of United Latin American Citizens

70.        Legal Aid at Work

71.        MANA, A National Latina Organization

72.        MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

73.        Mi familia Vota

74.        MomsRising Together

75.        MoveOn

76.        NAACP

77.        National Action Network

78.        National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity

79.        National Association for Bilingual Education

80.        National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT)

81.        National Association of School Nurses

82.        National Association of Social Workers

83.        National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)

84.        National Coalition for the Homeless

85.        National Education Association

86.        National Equity Project

87.        National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice

88.        National Nurses United

89.        National Organization for Women

90.        National Partnership for Women & Families

91.        National Women's Law Center Action Fund

92.        Native Organizers Alliance

93.        NELP Action

94.        Network for Public Education

95.        NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

96.        Nonprofits Counsel

97.        Organized Power In Numbers

98.        Oxfam America Action Fund

99.        Paid Leave for All Action

100.     ParentsTogether Action

101.     Patriotic Millionaires

102.     People For the American Way

103.     People Power United

104.     Planned Parenthood Action Fund

105.     Power Rising Action Fund

106.     PrEP4All, Inc.

107.     Pride At Work, AFL-CIO

108.     Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)

109.     Public Citizen

110.     Race Forward

111.     Red Wine & Blue

112.     Reproductive Freedom for All

113.     Run for Something

114.     RuralOrganizing.org

115.     Save HIV Funding Campaign

116.     Service Employees International Union

117.     Social Security Works

118.     Stand Up America

119.     States United to Prevent Gun Violence

120.     Stop AAPI Hate

121.     Stop Handgun Violence

122.     Strong Economy For All Coalition

123.     Student Borrower Protection Center

124.     Student Debt Crisis Center

125.     Students Engaged (SEAT)

126.     Supermajority

127.     T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

128.     Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children (TED)

129.     Teachers Unify to End Gun Violence Action

130.     The AIDS Institute

131.     The Alliance for Gun Responsibility

132.     The Center for Black Educator Development (CBED)

133.     The Center for Progressive Reform

134.     The Daily Beans Podcast

135.     The Grassroots Democrats HQ

136.     The Tech Oversight Project

137.     Transformative Justice Coalition

138.     UndauntedK12

139.     Union Label & Service Trades Department (AFL-CIO)

140.     United States Student Association

141.     University of California Student Association (UCSA)

142.     Venice Resistance

143.     Visioning Beyond Violence (previous name was Vision Quilt)

144.     Voices of Health Care Action

145.     Voters of Tomorrow

146.     VoteVets PAC

147.     Win Without War

148.     Women Lawyers On Guard Action Network, Inc.

149.     Women’s March