The Obama administration has signaled that it will veto the entire education jobs bill if the $800 million in cuts to its reform priorities remain.
Here is what the administration told Congress in a statement on the edujobs bill, which the U.S. House of Representatives will consider tonight:
Since the quality of education we afford our children also is essential to our long-term strength and security, the Administration supports the proposed funding to avert the layoff of hundreds of thousands of public school teachers and deep cuts in Pell Grants that millions of students need to attend college."
But the administration went on to say:
$800 million in rescissions from education reform programs—programs that will help schools upgrade their standards and instruction so as to better prepare more students to succeed in school and in life. "The Administration is more than willing to work with the Congress to pursue fiscally responsible ways to finance education jobs; however, these rescissions undercut programs that have already received applications from more than three dozen States. It would be short-sighted to weaken funding for these reforms just as they begin to show such promise. "The Administration urges the House to include education jobs funding in a version of H.R. 4899 that does not rescind education reform funding. If the final bill presented to the President includes cuts to education reforms, the President's senior advisors would recommend a veto."
This follows a statement from the president earlier today decrying the cuts.