Rather than taking advantage of opportunities to work with the new Democratic leadership in Congress, President Bush continues to "press the politics of division," AFT president Edward J. McElroy said in a statement following the State of the Union address last night. While President Bush spoke about improving education and reauthorizing No Child Left Behind, his "blueprint for strengthening NCLB"—released by the White House in conjunction with the speech—includes two voucher schemes.

"President Bush has clearly decided to invite partisan bickering rather than bipartisan progress," McElroy said. "Every minute spent debating a voucher proposal means less time for making needed changes to a law that has been long on promise and short on progress."

Instead of promoting vouchers, McElroy suggested, the president should be supporting "research-backed solutions for struggling schools and disadvantaged programs" as well as providing additional funding to support such solutions.

President Bush's healthcare proposals also attracted criticism from the AFT, as well as from the AFL-CIO and many other advocates of improved healthcare. The administration's plan would cap the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health coverage at $15,000, which would mean tax increases for many workers and employers. "Rather than undermine existing employer-provided health insurance for workers and their families, as the president suggests, we should move toward universal healthcare coverage by expanding Medicare coverage to the uninsured—especially disadvantaged children," McElroy said. [Dan Gursky, AFT public affairs]

January 24, 2007