Tell Congress to Protect Funding for Education and Healthcare

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

As you begin work on the FY 2009 budget, I urge you to reject President Bush's budget request and instead propose a budget that provides sufficient funding for key education and healthcare programs that are so important to working families.

In particular, I support an approximate $3 billion increase in Title I funding annually over the next five years. This funding level would allow Congress to double funding for Title I in a five-year period and provide significant support to disadvantaged students. The No Child Left Behind Act has been shortchanged by tens of billions of dollars since its enactment. President Bush has continued to demonstrate his lack of commitment to NCLB by producing a FY 2009 budget that offers only a minor increase in Title I funding. Even more troubling, at a time when struggling public schools are being asked to do more, the president's budget would divert $300 million to a new and unproven voucher program.

I also urge you to reject the president's request to cut $200 billion for Medicare and Medicaid as well as his request to means-test the Medicare prescription drug plan. Further, you should enact a moratorium on the $15 billion in Medicaid cuts that would give Congress and the new president time to evaluate the merits of these cuts.

Strong education and healthcare systems are the bedrock of both our economy and our society. More must be done to ensure that our children are receiving a world-class education and that all Americans have access to the health care they need. To maintain a strong economy and a vibrant society, we must be willing to invest in both.

An important first step toward maintaining a strong and vibrant nation would be to provide significant funding increases to Title I grants to school districts, state grants for Improving Teacher Quality, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's basic state grants, Pell Grants, child care state grants, Head Start and language acquisition state grants at the federal level. I also believe that adequate funding along with more stringent accountability should be provided for Reading First. And Congress should also reject the unwise and unproven voucher initiative President Bush has proposed which would drain scarce resources from underfunded public schools.

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