AFT’s Weingarten on Trump’s First 100 Days

WASHINGTON—Statement of American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on President Trump’s first 100 days:

“President Trump ran as a populist promising to help working people, but he’s governing for the wealthy, as his proposed tax plan and repeal of the Affordable Care Act demonstrate. The only promises he’s really kept are those that roll back rights and deepen the polarization in our country—stripping rights from transgender children, attacking the press and the judiciary, ignoring transparency and otherwise chipping away at our democracy. 

“When it comes to helping working families and unrigging the economy, he’s made things worse for working people over the past 100 days. One of his first acts was to make it harder for folks to buy a home. He appointed an anti-worker, anti-student Supreme Court justice. His healthcare bill and tax plan are massive tax breaks for the wealthy at the expense of everything else, including local and state services and millions of people who would be one disease or pre-existing condition away from bankruptcy. He’s made it easier for student loan corporations to prey on students and their families. And while he says ‘buy American’ and that teachers are important, his actions say otherwise: His companies are still manufacturing their products overseas, and he’s proposed the largest funding cuts ever to education. His plans would destroy what works to help kids—eliminating after-school programs, community schools, smaller class sizes and professional development for educators—in favor of things that don’t, like vouchers and privatization.

“As president, we’ve seen Donald Trump the billionaire, not Donald Trump the champion of working folks.”