Fellow Democrats – there are some huge events in the world of education happening right now, in Washington DC and here in our Washington State legislature.

FIRST: The Vote count on Betsy DeVos is TIED

Big news – Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have come out in opposition to Trump’s nominee for education secretary, Betsy DeVos – proof that calling Congress can make a difference and change the minds of elected officials!

With the Democrats opposing DeVos, the vote count is now tied 50-50! Currently Vice President Mike Pence can break that tie to confirm DeVos, but if we can flip one more Republican Senator, we can defeat this nomination.

Our National ask of you today:

The Republicans remaining most likely to flip to oppose DeVos are Dean Heller of Nevada, Jeff Flake of Arizona, and Deb Fischer of Nebraska. We need to call their offices and let them know that DeVos’ priorities – cutting education funding, privatizing schools, and attacking teachers – are wrong for our schools and students.

Office of Sen. Dean Heller – 202-224-6244 or 702-388-6605

Office of Sen. Jeff Flake – 202-224-4521 or 602-840-1891

Office of Sen. Deb Fischer – (202) 224-6551 or (402) 441-4600

 

SECOND: Washington Republicans vote to cut education for 605,000 kids

On a party line vote, the Senate Republicans passed their proposal for funding education. This proposal isn’t directly going into law, but now the Republicans and the Democrats will have to negotiate with each other to come to a final plan for funding schools.

The Republican plan gets a failing grade – it raises regressive taxes instead of asking the rich and corporations to pay their fair share.

While the Senate has already voted, we have to keep up the pressure. If legislators of both parties know that the public opposes the Republican education cuts, they’ll feel the political pressure to move away from the Republican proposal and accept a proposal that actually helps students, teachers, and schools succeed.

Our Local ask of you today:

Please share a message on Facebook or Twitter so that your friends, family, and even legislators can see the opposition to cutting education among voters and the public:

Thanks for reading – you can reach us at communications@wa-democrats.org with your thoughts and feedback. Let’s keep a spotlight on the legislature this year and we’ll stay in touch with you about how we can work together to fight back, beat the Republicans, and deliver wins for the people of Washington!

 

The WA Democrats Communications Team