The Democrats Grilling Betsy DeVos Have Received Tons of Money from Teachers Unions

By Joe Cunningham | 5:30 PM on January 17, 2017

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FILE - This Sept. 10, 2012, file photo shows thousands of public school teachers rallying outside the Chicago Public Schools district headquarters on the first day of strike action over teachers' contracts in Chicago. A majority of union members today now have ties to a government entity at the federal, state or local levels. The typical union worker now is more likely to be an educator, office worker or food or service industry employee rather than a construction worker, autoworker, electrician or mechanic, with far more women than men among the ranks. Overall, 11.3 percent of U.S. wage and salary workers are unionized, down from a peak of 35 percent during the mid-1950s. (AP Photo/Sitthixay Ditthavong, File)

I’ve mentioned before (and often!) how many of the Democrats criticizing Betsy DeVos have received a lot of money from the very Democratic-leaning teachers unions in the country. Just how much have they received, though? About $750,000.

The two largest teachers unions in the country have donated heavily to the eleven Democrats serving on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The National Education Association has contributed more than $376,000 to the senators on the committee, while the American Federation of Teachers has given more than $361,000, according to a Washington Free Beacon analysis of federal election records.

The two unions represent about 4.5 million teachers and education employees across the country and are among the most influential labor groups in the country. Their willingness to shower politicians with campaign contributions and outside spending, as well as supply volunteers on the ground during election campaigns, has helped to boost their profile in Democratic circles.

This analysis comes from Bill McMorris at the Washington Free Beacon, and it details just who is getting the love from the special interest groups. Want to know which liberal Senator on the committee has received the most?

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), an avowed socialist and Clinton’s sole serious challenger in the 2016 primary, has been the biggest career recipient of NEA money on the committee, raising more than $100,000 from the union’s PACs, employees, and members over the course of his career. Those donations have made NEA one of his 20 largest career contributors.

A man who represents “the people” taking $100,000 from a special interest group who actively fights policies that would make your child’s life better. And they called Republicans the bad guys.

This money has been the unions’ tool in retaining power in federal education policy. However, the unions, and their beneficiaries, are sensing the danger in a DeVos Education Department. If the unions’ power and influence wanes, they are going to lose a lot of their members, and therefore a lot of their money.

This is just another reason that the Senate must confirm Betsy DeVos.