President Biden speaks during an event to honor the National Education Association 2023 Teacher of the Year award recipient Union High School math teacher Rebecka Peterson of Tulsa, Okla., in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, April 24, 2023.
BY LEXI LONAS – 04/27/23 – The Hill
The National Education Association (NEA) on Wednesday announced its support for President Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign.
Becky Pringle, president of the NEA, released a video on Twitter calling Biden “the most pro-public education president in modern history.”
“I am honored to announce that the three million members of the NEA proudly recommend President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for reelection,” she said.
It is not a surprise the nation’s largest labor union endorsed Biden again after it did so in the 2020 election.
Throughout his presidency, the teachers union lauded Biden for his education initiatives, such as the money towards education in the American Rescue Plan and for prioritizing educators for the COVID-19 vaccines.
“For so many Americans, President Biden included, the people who’ve made the biggest difference in their lives are teachers. President Biden is honored to have earned the trust of the National Education Association’s three million members,” Kevin Munoz, spokesperson for Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign said in response to the NEA’s endorsement.
“From investing in teacher pay, to expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs to address the educator shortage, to defending the rights of students to learn in environments free of gun violence, the president has proven that he stands with America’s teachers and students,” he added.
Most recently, President Biden hosted National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson at the White House and went after Republicans for book bans and their debt ceiling proposal that cuts funding to education programs.
“There are MAGA politicians who want to take our nation backward. They ignore the vast majority of parents, especially Black and Brown parents, as they attack our public schools, ban books and censor educators,” Pringle said.