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Americans didn’t vote for deep cuts to services that we need—and our taxes pay for.
The Trump administration wants to make painful cuts to education and healthcare in order to slash taxes for billionaires. The administration’s plan to “block grant” federal education programs and gut the U.S. Department of Education would rob 26 million students living in poverty of critical services and 7.5 million students with disabilities of special education support.
On Saturday, April 5, hundreds of thousands of people flooded the streets in more than 1,300 “Hands Off!” peaceful protests in cities across all 50 states. The message was clear and thunderous: Enough is enough.
As Donald Trump and Elon Musk are slashing critical federal services and funding—threatening well-being and opportunities for all—the new Spring issue of American Educator focuses on protecting our kids and restoring hope for the future.
Proposed Medicaid cuts would directly threaten access to healthcare for millions of Americans, including children, older Americans, low-income families, and people with disabilities.
A union’s commitment to community
On a chilly Saturday in upstate New York, with seven inches of snow on the ground and temperatures hovering just above freezing, hundreds of people poured into the Liberty High School gym for the highlight of the weekend: brand new books, in English and Spanish, absolutely free of charge.
AFT’s federal employees hit hard by Trump chaos
Are you a federal worker who has been asked for those infamous “fork-in-the-road” memos—or your resignation? Are you a state or local public employee bracing for the fallout from President Donald Trump going nuclear on the public services he was entrusted to govern?
Either way, the destruction of vital services for millions of Americans has begun—and so has an uprising to stop it.
Fighting for science, research—and cures
Hands off our research! Hands off our healthcare! Hands off our jobs!
The message rang out loud and clear at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., Feb. 25, where scientists, researchers and other higher education workers rallied against the cuts the Trump administration has been making to medical research.
Government for the people—or for plutocrats?
Now that Donald Trump has moved from candidate to president, it looks as though his promise to champion everyday Americans is not moving with him, writes AFT President Randi Weingarten in her monthly column.
AFT Celebrates CTE Month
The AFT is proud to celebrate the innovative educators who dedicate their lives to preparing students for a wide range of careers. Celebrate Career and Technical Education Month with us by sharing the work our members are doing in this field.
The Heart and Soul of Education
Students face increasing mental health challenges, and educators strive to support them. That’s why the new issue of American Educator is dedicated to the heart and soul of education: creating safe, welcoming spaces that focus on healing from trauma and restoring well-being.
From student loan relief to immigration policy, endowment taxes and university accreditation, the next four years of a Trump administration are looking grim for higher education.
AFT President Randi Weingarten unpacks the election results in her latest column and concludes that while “fear, anger and a sense of powerlessness in many ways fueled people’s votes,” moving forward means choosing a path of hope.
“We are in another turbulent time. My remarks today are an attempt to chart a path forward—a path that leans…on hope, not fear, recognizing full well that fear, anger and a sense of powerlessness in many ways fueled the results of this election.”