McCarthy’s Debt-Limit Plan Would Slash Education, Biden Administration Says

April 25, 2023

Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s plan to link spending cuts to an increase in the US debt limit would result in fewer teachers and more expensive college educations, the Biden administration warned Tuesday.

The Education Department estimated that the Republican proposal would cut $4 billion for low-income students, resulting in some 60,000 fewer teachers, according to a fact sheet obtained by Bloomberg News. The agency says that 7.5 million children with disabilities would lose funding, the equivalent of 48,000 fewer teachers.

McCarthy plans to put his proposal to a floor vote on Wednesday, although it isn’t clear whether he has the votes to pass it. Among those Republicans balking at the bill are moderates in districts won by President Joe Biden who are wary of the cuts to social programs. Biden on Tuesday announced his bid for a second term.

The legislation would not pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, but it’s congressional Republicans’ official opening salvo in the debt negotiations as a market-rattling default nears.