American Federation of Teachers President Edward J. McElroy
Criticizes President’s Fiscal Year 2006 Budget

Washington, D.C. — “President Bush’s proposed budget flies in the face of his re-election campaign that stressed family values and compassion.  It turns its back on children, the elderly and the most vulnerable while shifting the burden of assisting them to cash-strapped states.  His budget also irresponsibly masks the tremendous hidden costs of the administration’s misguided scheme to privatize Social Security. 

“The budget, which cuts the Department of Education’s budget by more than a half billion dollars, represents a huge reversal in the federal government’s commitment to education at a time when new, rigorous requirements for students and teachers need to be met. 

“Minimal increases to such important education programs as Pell Grants for college tuition, Title I for disadvantaged youngsters, and IDEA for students with disabilities, are more than offset by radical cuts in a huge number of deserving programs, including 48 that would be eliminated. One of every three programs that Bush would purge in his proposed budget is in education, raising serious questions about his real commitment to education at all levels across America.

“This budget should be greeted with the healthy level of skepticism it deserves, and Congress should begin work on a proposal that is more responsive to the many challenges facing the nation.”

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