Payout to save teaching jobs gets mild support from White House
By Associated Press
Friday, May 28, 2010A $23 billion payout to save thousands of educators' jobs faltered Thursday -- perhaps for good -- to election-year jitters among moderate Democrats over deficit spending and only lukewarm support from the White House.
The proposal's chief advocate in the House abruptly canceled a committee meeting to put the money in a war spending bill. Its lead sponsor in the Senate gave up trying to do it, acknowledging that he lacked the necessary votes.
The developments jeopardized what liberals in Congress and some members of the Obama administration had described as a life raft for 100,000 to 300,000 teachers and other school personnel whose billions of dollars in salary subsidies, paid through federal stimulus funding, will run out this fall.
Outside the Beltway, educators said it was unclear how big a hit they will take if more federal money does not come through.
The developments jeopardized what liberals in Congress and some members of the Obama administration had described as a life raft for 100,000 to 300,000 teachers and other school personnel whose billions of dollars in salary subsidies, paid through federal stimulus funding, will run out this fall.
Outside the Beltway, educators said it was unclear how big a hit they will take if more federal money does not come through.