NEA Letter to Senate Members

The National Education Association (NEA) sent this letter to all Senate members on June 11, 2002, urging them to vote "No" on the Gramm amendment to H.R. 8 for permanent repeal of the estate tax. The letter argues that, "Spending hundreds of billions of dollars to permanently repeal the estate tax will constrain our ability to meet the educational needs of our children." GOVERNMENT RELATIONS Diane Shust, Director 202-822-7321 FAX: 202-822-7741 June 11, 2002 United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator: On behalf of the National Education Association's (NEA) 2.7 million members, we would like to express our strong opposition to H.R. 8, which would permanently repeal the estate tax. We believe making this repeal permanent would jeopardize the ability to make needed investments in children and public education. Votes associated with this issue may be included in the NEA Legislative Report Card for the 107th Congress. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, H.R. 8 would cost $100 billion in the next decade, with some estimates projecting a 20-year cost of $850 billion. With the federal budget surplus essentially depleted due to the enactment last year of a $1.7 trillion tax cut, as well as the economic downturn, we believe Congress must establish wise budget priorities. Investing in education helps long-term economic growth, as earnings are linked directly to educational attainment. Spending hundreds of billions of dollars to permanently repeal the estate tax will constrain our ability to meet the educational needs of our children. Repealing the estate tax would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest one-half of one percent of Americans. Instead, Congress should use these funds to benefit the 45 million children in our public schools. This funding is particularly critical in light of the significant accountability, testing, and teacher quality requirements in the new ESEA law. Despite these requirements, the Administration’s proposed Budget would cut funding for ESEA programs, leaving them more than $7 billion below the levels set in the new law. In addition, IDEA special education funding still represents less than half of the promised federal share, a shortfall of more than $10 billion in FY 03 alone. Given the critical need to invest in our nation’s children and in our public schools, we urge your opposition to H.R. 8. Sincerely, Diane Shust Director of Government Relations
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