When they chose not to come to the table and stop the sequester, Republicans in Congress declared tax breaks for rich were more important than jobs or education, health care or defense. Check out—and share—http://www.gopsequester.com/ to see how the the GOP sequester is hurting communities across the country.
Republicans made a stark choice when they refused to work with President Obama and Democrats to avert the sequester: They declared that tax loopholes for the wealthy are more important than protecting middle-class families.
As a result, school districts, teachers, and families across the country are bracing for dramatic, damaging—and unnecessary—cuts to their education programs. Stories like these are popping up across the country. Here's a snapshot of what the GOP sequester means for education:
In Arizona, the Window Rock School District in the Navajo nation is proposing to close three of its seven schools as a direct result of the GOP sequester. Those schools are among the 1,600 public schools on Native American reservations and military bases that are reeling from the cuts to their budgets.
University of Nevada–Las Vegas students expect to lose a percentage of their financial aid and see the availability of campus jobs dwindle because of the GOP sequester. Statewide, more than 100 work-study students could lose their jobs.
The University of Missouri expects a $17 million loss in funding. That puts student financial aid at risk. 1,166 Missouri students could lose federal work-study benefits, and nearly 2,000 students could lose federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants.
48,000 young children would lose their access to Head Start—more than 30 percent of whom are Latino.
School officials in Gainesville, Florida, predict cuts in funding for school nutrition, special education, reading skills, migrant education, and programs for low-income and at-risk children.
Georgia is expected to lose $28.6 million in federal funding for primary and secondary education. This loss of funding puts 390 teacher and teacher's aide jobs at risk.
The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that the GOP sequester will force 50,000 job losses across medical schools and health care facilities nationwide.
Southern Oregon Head Start expects their current school year to be shortened as a result of the GOP sequester. Next year, 50 children could lose their spots at this preschool program.
Fed up? Tell Republicans that our children's educations are more important than politics. Add your name now.
Our chair, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, just sent this email on the GOP sequester:
Friend --
Friday at midnight, the sequester went into effect -- and Republicans are counting on the possibility that you won't notice.
While it may take time for the harmful effects of these billions of dollars in automatic cuts to be felt by some Americans, some families are already starting to feel the pain -- like families on military bases.
The sequester immediately cut a program called "Impact Aid" which is a major source of funding for schools on military bases. So now military families -- including those with a family member deployed overseas -- have to worry about immediate cuts to teaching staff, increased class sizes, and delayed building repairs.
Our men and women in uniform fighting overseas shouldn't have to worry about fighting to keep their kids in school back home just because Republicans in Congress are unwilling to negotiate.
Tell congressional Republicans to come back to the table right away to negotiate with President Obama to end the sequester. Add your name now.
President Obama has laid out a balanced, fair approach to end the sequester -- and it's supported by more than three-quarters of Americans.
But Republicans won't even consider it. And the longer they refuse to come to an agreement, the more these harmful effects will spread. Teachers could be laid off, health care for military families could be cut, support for mentally ill children could be reduced, and hundreds of thousands of jobs could be lost.
It's truly appalling.
The only way Republicans will come back to the table to end the sequester is if they know it's politically unsustainable not to -- that's why they need to know that constituents like you want them to stop these devastating cuts.
Tell my Republican colleagues to do their job and end the sequester. Click below to add your name:
http://my.democrats.org/GOP-Sequester
Thanks,
Debbie
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Chair
Democratic National Committee
Tell Republicans in Congress: Work with President Obama and Democrats to stop the sequester.
Last week, President Obama laid out an ambitious agenda for the year ahead: expanding access to preschool education for every American child, making the minimum wage a living wage, and reducing gun violence in our communities.
But as our executive director, Patrick Gaspard, notes in his video message marking Black History Month, the President can’t do this on his own. And as we celebrate the many contributions of African Americans throughout our history and the progress we've made in the fight for equal opportunity, this should also be a moment to focus on the change we still need. This month, let's commit ourselves to working toward President Obama's vision of stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger America.
Watch Gaspard's message, then say you stand with President Obama in the fight to make sure our best days are still ahead of us.
Today, President Obama and Vice President Biden announced their plan to reduce gun violence in America and keep our kids and communities safe. After senseless mass shootings in Connecticut and Colorado, we can't wait to act.
That's why the President's plan includes 23 executive actions that the administration will take immediately—actions such as strengthening the background check system and supporting mental health professionals. President Obama also called on Congress to pass specific, common-sense proposals right away. Taken together, this plan would close background-check loopholes that keep guns out of dangerous hands, ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, make schools safer, and increase access to mental health services.
"While there is no law or set of laws that can prevent every senseless act of violence completely, no piece of legislation that will prevent every tragedy, every act of evil," President Obama said in his remarks, "if there is even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there is even one life that can be saved, then we've got an obligation to try."
Find out more about the President's plan at whitehouse.gov.
10. Karl Rove's, the Koch brothers', and other conservative groups’ $1 billion in outside money was no match for your grassroots organizing.
9. Everyday citizens stood up to Republican attempts to suppress the vote—and our nation's courts struck down some of the GOP's most blatant efforts in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Ohio.
8. The Supreme Court affirmed what we've known all along: Obamacare is constitutional.
7. Four states made history by supporting marriage equality at the ballot box.
6. Back from the brink of collapse, General Motors is posting record profits and investing billions in the U.S., thanks to a President who wouldn’t let Detroit go bankrupt.
5. President Obama and congressional Democrats prevented 7.4 million college students' loan interest rates from doubling.
4. With the DREAM Act stalled in Congress, President Obama signed an executive order helping undocumented young people in college or the military.
3. As of this year, 3.1 million young people now have health insurance and birth control is co-pay free—all thanks to Obamacare.
2. We've added 5.6 million jobs over 33 straight months of private-sector job growth. That's progress.
1. With 332 electoral votes, President Obama won re-election—decisively.
As he made his closing argument to the people of Florida at his last campaign stop in the Sunshine State last night, President Obama reminded us how much this election is about—and who we're fighting for.
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