NEA blasts extremist Republicans in Congress for government shutdown

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans have little time left and lack a clear path to avoid a government shutdown that would start at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Oct. 1. Millions of federal workers and military families will go without pay, and vital food programs and education services for women and young children will be cut.

The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Becky Pringle:

“All Americans deserve a Congress that works for them. Because of a small group of extremist Republicans in the House who have been enabled by their own caucus, members of the military and their families, including many educators who teach at military bases here and abroad, will work without pay. Low-income new mothers and their babies will lose food and crucial support. And thousands of our nation’s more vulnerable children will lose access to vital preschool programs. These few extremist Republicans refuse to negotiate with the rest of Congress and are trying to extract the deepest cuts to education funding in history. They want to slash funding to schools with high numbers of children from low-income families by 80%.

“The National Education Association has been clear in the days leading up to this point that any shutdown is the result of the House Republican majority’s unwillingness to govern and to live up to the bipartisan funding agreement reached a few months ago between President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy that averted a default on the nation’s debt. On behalf of NEA’s 3 million members, I implore Speaker McCarthy and his majority to stop the dysfunction, do their jobs, and keep the government open.”

Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @BeckyPringle and @NEAToday

For more information, go to www.nea.org/shutdown

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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.