Debt-ceiling bill forces cuts to education spending

The bill’s passage caps a long, difficult battle between Tea Party-powered House Republicans and President Obama—with House Speaker John Boehner caught in the middle more than once.

After months of fiercely partisan struggle, the House’s top Republican and Democratic leaders swung behind the bill, ratifying a deal sealed July 31 with a late-night phone call from Boehner to Obama.

“I’m not happy with it,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. “But I’m proud of some of the accomplishments in it. That’s why I’m voting for it.”

Much of the measure was negotiated on terms set by Boehner, which included a demand that any increase in the nation’s borrowing cap be matched by spending cuts at least as large.

While it also meets some demands made by Obama, including debt increases large enough to keep the government funded into 2013 and curbs on growth of the Pentagon budget, it fails to include a key sticking point for Democrats: tax increases on wealthy individuals and large corporations to help offset cuts.

“We understand that, given the timing, this deal was necessary to avoid default and stabilize the financial markets; nevertheless, we are disappointed that it appears our most vulnerable citizens will bear the brunt of this solution,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a statement.

“The deal does not create jobs or further invest in our infrastructure or our children. In fact, it will likely lead to huge cuts in programs for children, seniors, and those who can least afford it—yet it doesn’t ask one cent of shared sacrifice from the wealthiest or from corporations. Finally, we are concerned this deal will have long-term negative consequences to state and city budgets, including school budgets—budgets that already have been affected by the deep recession.”

Even though Obama strongly supported the measure, half of the House Democrats opposed it. Sixty-six conservative Republicans opposed the measure as well. Still, after storming the Capital in January, many junior House lawmakers opted to view the legislation through the prism of optimism.

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