Liberal House Dems, Unions Push For $23B Fund To Save Teacher Jobs

Soon after Congress returns from the Memorial Day recess, liberal House Democrats and teacher unions will make one last push to pass a $23 billion fund to prevent teacher layoffs.

Democrats are looking to package the fund with war and disaster spending in a supplemental appropriations bill the House will vote on as early as this week.

The House approved the teacher fund in December as part of a jobs bill, but that legislation stalled in the Senate. With lawmakers wary of moving big spending measures, the upcoming bill may be the last vehicle that could carry the teacher money before the November elections.

Democrats in the House pushing for the fiscal aid warn that up to 300,000 teachers could lose their jobs soon because the $44.5 billion in fiscal aid in the 2009 stimulus bill is running out.

"At the same time, states are still facing bleak budgetary outlooks and may very well have to cut funding for education in order to balance budgets," Democratic Reps. Maurice Hinchey (N.Y.), Phil Hare (Ill.) and Bob Etheridge (N.C.) wrote in a letter. "If Congress does not pass additional funding for education jobs soon, many of the jobs that have been supported by [the stimulus] will be lost."

The letter was signed by 104 other House Democrats, the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association unions, and other public education groups. The teacher fund has gotten public backing from Education Secretary Arne Duncan and senior White House economist Christina Romer.

The measure is likely to run into resistance from Democratic freshman and fiscally conservative Blue Dogs, both of whom face tough reelection races this fall.

House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) is including the teacher money in a $86 billion package that also has $37.5 billion for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and related State Department operations, $13.4 billion for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, $5.7 billion for Pell grants for college students, $2.8 billion for Haiti aid, $677 million for increased security at the Mexican border and $275 million for aid for the Gulf Coast oil spill. Most of the money isn't offset and would increase the deficit because it's considered emergency spending.

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