As the Obama Administration prepares this week to mark its 100th day in office, the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), commented on what these first 100 days have meant for students, families, workers, and retirees:
“The first 100 days of the Obama Administration have brought both good and bad news for education reform and workplace policy. The President has advocated for transformation in our schools, and indicated a willingness to stand up to the entrenched education establishment. But these proposals do little to help the low-income children whose scholarships to attend better schools will be taken away under this Administration’s watch. And in our workplaces, the Obama Department of Labor has begun retreating to the failed policies of the past.
“Of course, when it comes to policy shifts that impact our nation’s children, little can compare to the weight of trillion dollar deficits and a doubling of the national debt. The first 100 days have brought a regime of spending, taxing, and borrowing that will stifle generations to come.
“Republicans have pledged not simply to say ‘no,’ but to be the party of better solutions. From pro-growth policies that will create jobs and help Americans rebuild their lost savings to an education reform agenda that puts students first and recognizes the value of choice, Republicans are ready to work with the President on meaningful reforms to help students, families, workers, and retirees.”
McKeon highlighted the following actions taken by the Obama Administration in its first 100 days as having major consequences – both positive and negative – for education and labor:
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Supporting teachers. McKeon and other Republicans are eager to work with President Obama to fulfill his call for innovative strategies to improve teacher quality, including efforts to provide performance pay for teachers that demonstrate success in the classroom.
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Expanding charter schools. President Obama deserves great credit for standing up to the education establishment and encouraging major expansions in the availability of charter schools. Republicans are focused on replicating quality charter schools to give more parents and children an educational choice.
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Restricting educational options. The President’s bold support for charter schools stands in sharp contrast to his Administration’s position on other educational options, particularly for children in the nation’s capital. Less than three weeks ago, the Obama Administration denied scholarships to 200 low-income children trying to escape troubled schools. The Washington Post described the move this way: “By presuming the program dead—and make no mistake, that's the insidious effect of his bar on new enrollment—Mr. Duncan makes it even more difficult for the program to get the fair hearing it deserves.”
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Taking away choice in college lending. President Obama’s budget would eliminate the private sector-based student loan program that is helping an estimated 6.7 million students and parents pay for college this year alone. Instead, he replaces it with a government-run loan program that replaces local financial aid providers with a massive federal bureaucracy.
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Denying workers the right to a secret ballot. President Obama campaigned in support of the misnamed Employee Free Choice Act – a bill that actually takes away a worker’s ability to freely and privately choose to join a union through a secret ballot – and in his first 100 days, he has done nothing to repudiate this anti-worker plan.
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Rolling back union transparency. Although the Administration has placed a major emphasis on transparency in government, it hasn’t given the same consideration to rank-and-file workers seeking information on how unions are managed. In fact, the Obama Department of Labor recently rolled back key financial reporting and disclosure requirements, making it harder to hold union leaders accountable.
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Discriminating against non-union contractors. The Administration has repealed a number of executive orders and replaced them with new policies aimed at boosting unions’ role in government projects, often to the detriment of non-union contractors, many of which are owned and operated by women and minorities.
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Undermining investment advice for workers who need it. The Department of Labor’s efforts in the first 100 days have focused on undoing key reforms enacted in the past eight years, rather than putting forth a positive agenda to keep American workers competitive. For instance, the Department has pulled back a proposal – enacted as part of a bipartisan pension reform effort in 2006 – to provide independent investment advice to workers planning for retirement.
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Saddling future generations with trillions in debt. The national debt held by the public currently stands at $5.8 trillion. Under the President’s budget, public debt is expected to double to $11.8 trillion by 2013 (in 5 years) and triple to $17.3 trillion in 2019 (in 10 years). Running up deficits and debt will burden future generations and hamper the competitiveness of the American workforce in a struggling economy.
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