Friends -

Today in America, there is relatively little discussion about the grotesque level of income and wealth inequality which now exists or the absurd national priorities we maintain. That's unfortunate.

At the same time as we have multi-billionaires taking joy rides into outer space, some 600,000 Americans are homeless and more than 90 million are medically uninsured or under-insured.

Even worse for the future of our country we have, for decades, disrespected our children and largely ignored their needs. Year after year we have the highest rate of childhood poverty of almost any major country, and far too many of our kids lack adequate nutrition, housing or decent schools.

Here is the good news. Some of us in Congress intend to change that and we're making progress. As a result of the American Rescue Plan, which was passed along party lines by one vote (not one Republican voted for it), we invested $1,400 in direct payment to every working class adult and child in the country. Equally important, we also provided $300 per child to all working class families with kids under 18 so that they would have the financial stability to better provide for their kids.

And, do you know what those provisions accomplished? THEY REDUCED CHILDHOOD POVERTY IN THE UNITED STATES BY OVER 50 PERCENT. That's right. One piece of serious legislation made a massive cut in childhood poverty and improved life for millions of our kids.

But so much more needs to be done.

When it comes to public education in this country, the good news is that the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted in March, did a good job of helping many of our schools to reopen and getting kids back in the classroom.

The bad news is, we still have a long way to go. Even before COVID, we needed a revolution in public education in this country. And since the pandemic began, things have only gotten worse.

You may recall that in the two years before the pandemic, school teachers from Arizona, California, Colorado, North Carolina, Oklahoma and West Virginia all went on strike.

They fought for smaller classes and decent wages, for nurses, counselors and librarians in their schools, and against a coordinated effort from billionaires on the right to make money by privatizing public education.

They fought because the top 25 hedge fund managers in this country made more money than the combined salaries of every kindergarten teacher.

They fought because while billionaires got huge tax breaks, our teachers and children got broken chairs, flooded classrooms and inadequate support staff in their schools.

When COVID started and classrooms shut down, a different debate emerged — one that centered on how to get our teachers and students back into the classroom safely.

But through our budget Reconciliation Bill, we have a chance to re-engage in the struggle those teachers, bus drivers, nurses, librarians and more started in 2018 and 2019.

Our Reconciliation Bill will do just that:

In my view, that begins, but does not end, with early-childhood education.

This is not just my opinion. Research tells us that the most efficient means to boost the productivity of the workforce 15 to 20 years down the road is to invest in today’s youngest children.

That is why our Reconciliation Bill includes funding to make preschool free for all 3- and 4-year-olds in this country so they will be guaranteed a pre-kindergarten education regardless of family income.

Today in America, hundreds of thousands of bright young people who have the desire and the ability to get a college education will not be able to do so because their families lack the money. This is a tragedy for those young people and their families, but it is also a tragedy for our nation.

That is why our Reconciliation Bill will make community college tuition-free for working families in this country and expand Pell Grants, because in the 21st century a public education system that goes from early-childhood education through high school is not good enough.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were established at a time when segregation was the law of the land in the United States. In the decades since the 1964 Civil Rights Act, HBCUs have continued to serve an integral role in African American education.

That is why our Reconciliation Bill will provide historic levels of funding for America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. These institutions educate a disproportionate number of students who are first in their families to attend college and serve many underrepresented students.

Right now — especially right now — our mission must be to give hope to young people, students, teachers and parents in this country.

We must give them the hope that everyone, regardless of their station in life, should be able to get all of the education they need.

We must give them hope that if kids study hard and do well in school they will be able to go to college, regardless of the income of their family.

Instead of giving huge tax breaks to billionaires and profitable corporations, we must create the best public educational system in this country.

Instead of major increases in military spending, we must invest in our kids.

Our Reconciliation Bill does that.

But it won’t pass without people like you making your voice heard:

Add your name to say you support a revolution in public education in this country that includes massive investments in our students, our teachers and our schools through our budget Reconciliation Bill.

The world is changing. Technology is changing. Our economy is changing. If we are to succeed in the highly competitive global economy and have the best-educated workforce in the world, a high-quality public education from pre-k through college must be the right all, not a privilege for the few.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

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