“Republicans unanimously blocked a bill that would have kept 400,000 teachers in the classroom and first responders on the job because they refuse to ask millionaires to pay their fair share. By asking millionaires to pay an extra half a penny on the dollar, this bill would have created jobs by keeping our communities safe and ensuring that our children continue to have access to a high-quality education.

“Unfortunately, protecting millionaires and defeating President Obama are more important to my Republican colleagues than creating jobs and getting our economy back on track. Democrats agree with the overwhelming majority of Americans that teachers and first responder jobs are worth defending, while lower taxes for millionaires and billionaires are not.”

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill, which stems from President Obama’s jobs plan, before the end of the week.

With 14 million Americans out of work, Senate Democrats are committed to making sure teachers and those who protect our communities stay on the job. Watch video of yesterday’s rally here:

The bill would be paid for by a 0.5 percent surtax on millionaires and billionaires, who make up the top 1 percent of earners in America.

More than 300,000 teaching jobs have been lost since the start of the recession and schools across the country have had to slash their budgets to make ends meet.

The Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act would invest $30 billion in educator jobs, so that schools can put an end to layoffs and rehire teachers. An additional $5 billion would go towards protecting the jobs of police officers and firefighters.

As Nevada Senator Harry Reid puts it, “Teachers are out of work through no fault of their own and students who desperately need a good education are relying on us to act.”

First responders and teachers who visited Capitol Hill yesterday made it clear: without action from Congress, more jobs across the country will be on the line, putting our nation’s workforce will be at even greater risk.

And Senate Democrats held a rally yesterday to assure the first responders and teachers they will do everything they can to support job growth.

But as Democrats pointed out at the rally, Republicans need to start prioritizing jobs, too. To date, Republicans have chose to put politics ahead of putting Americans back to work.

This week my Republican colleagues have railed against the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, Democrats’ latest proposal to create hundreds of thousands of American jobs.

They point to a similar program with a proven track record of keeping 422,000 teachers in the classroom for a year as evidence this legislation will be “a failure.” But that’s because they’re using a different benchmark for success than we are.

Democrats’ number one priority is to create jobs. So to us, putting hundreds of thousands of people back to work teaching children, patrolling our streets and fighting fires constitutes a success.

But Republicans’ number one priority is to defeat President Obama, and their strategy is to keep the economy weak as long as possible. So they oppose legislation we know beyond a shadow of a doubt will support 400,000 American jobs without adding a penny to the deficit.

Never mind that Republicans have yet to propose a single idea of their own to get 14 million people working again. Never mind that in the past they have supported every one of the job creation measures that we’ve proposed.

Republicans get up every day and come to work to oppose the policies that will turn our economy around for one reason and one reason only: politics.

To me – and to most Americans – putting politics ahead of this country’s economic future is so far outside the mainstream it’s barely on the map.

But Republicans have been very candid about their goal this Congress. My friend, the Minority Leader, said this: “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”

Defeating job-creating legislation, defeating the economy and defeating the President – that’s how Republicans measure success. But Americans don’t share those values.

Like Democrats, they believe there are some things more important than politics, even in an election year. Creating jobs is one of those things.

To Democrats – and to the vast majority of Americans – there is no goal more important than getting our economy humming once more.

That’s why Americans overwhelmingly support our plan to retain or rehire 400,000 teachers and put more cops on the beat nationwide.

In Nevada, this legislation will provide an additional $260 million to keep teachers in the classroom and maintain class sizes. It will support 3,600 education jobs in the state, and pump much-needed money back into the economy.

Seventy-five percent of Americans believe we should help state and local governments put teachers, police and firefighters back to work. And 76 percent of Americans agree the wealthiest people in this country should help get our economy back on track.

I repeat: three out of four Americans – including two-thirds of Republicans – support the Democrats’ Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act.

Republicans in Congress aren’t just out of touch with America – they’re out of touch with other Republicans.

Fifty-four percent of Republicans support Democrats’ plan to create jobs building modern roads, bridges and schools.

Fifty-eight percent of Republicans support our plan to extend the payroll tax for American workers and businesses.

Sixty-three percent of Republicans support our plan to put teachers in the classroom and police officers on the beat.

And 56 percent of Republicans even support our proposal to ask millionaires and billionaires to contribute their fair share to pull our nation out of this terrible recession.

The trend is clear: Americans overwhelmingly support Democrats’ plan to create jobs, with even Republicans supporting our ideas by a wide margin.

And yet my friend, the Republican leader, said this yesterday on the Senate floor: “There’s a growing bipartisan opposition to trying the same failed policies again. And there’s bipartisan opposition to raising taxes especially at a time when 14 million Americans are out of work.”

Well, I say to my friend, the Republican Leader, as the saying goes, you are entitled to your own opinion but not to your own facts.

There is not bipartisan opposition to legislation that will create and save jobs for teachers and first responders. On the contrary, there is bipartisan support for the legislation.

Republicans, like the rest of Americans, do not oppose our proposal to ask millionaires to contribute their fair share. On the contrary, they support the proposal.

It is only here in Congress that Republicans oppose job-creating legislation and fair tax policy for the sake of politics.

In the rest of the country Republicans – like other Americans – are focused on where their next paycheck will come from and how they’ll make the mortgage.

And, like Democrats, they’re tired of Republicans in Congress rooting for the economy to fail instead of working with us to secure our economic future.

America’s education system is under siege. The terrible recession that has put millions of families in our country in a desperate economic situation has also put our schools at risk.

Since 2008, this country has lost 300,000 education jobs, including nearly 200,000 in the last year alone. And without talented, dedicated teachers and support staff, our schools cannot provide the world-class education students need to succeed in today’s difficult economic climate.

As state and local governments are forced to slash education funding again and again, it jeopardizes the futures of millions of children – regardless of where they live or how much money their parents make.

Nevada is facing a $1.2 billion budget shortfall in 2013, practically ensuring further cuts to state and local education. But Nevada can ill afford to lose more teachers, police and first responders.

The state has already slashed state education funding below pre-recession levels.  And additional cuts will place thousands of Nevada teacher jobs at risk.

School districts in Nevada have already made difficult cuts – laying off teachers, eliminating programs and reducing the number of hours children spend in school.

The state has delayed expansion of all-day kindergarten, eliminated resources for gifted and talented programs and cut a magnet program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Further cuts will affect the basic pillars of American education.

Already the school board in Lyon County, a rural part of Nevada, has considered moving to a four-day school week.

Students in the United States already spend much less time in school than students in other countries, including those with whom we compete for jobs. Most American pupils spend a month less in the classroom than those in South Korea and Japan, whose students are among the highest performing in the world.

At a time when Nevadans are competing for jobs with graduates from countries around the world as well as those in neighboring states, school districts shouldn’t be forced to make decisions like the one facing Lyon County.

The Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, filed last night and led by Senator Menendez, will ensure the Lyon County School District won’t have to choose between laying teachers off and reducing the school year.

And it will protect gains made by school districts like the one in Washoe County, which increased its graduation rate from 55 percent to nearly 70 percent.

Budget cuts would threaten that progress. The district can’t expect to improve on these gains if it has to jam more students in every class and lay off literacy and math specialists.

The Teachers and First Responders legislation will stem the loss of education jobs and help districts like Washoe continue to improve.

This legislation will provide Nevada with an additional $260 million to keep teachers in the classroom and maintain class sizes. It will support 3,600 education jobs in the state and give the economy a jolt.

And it won’t add a dime to the deficit. Instead, it asks millionaires and billionaires to contribute a tiny fraction more – one half of one percent more – to help turn our economy around. That’s an idea two-thirds of Americans and a majority of Republicans support.

This nation’s schools have already been hit hard by state and local budget cuts. We cannot afford to lose more teachers, or to lay off more police or first responders.

In Nevada, local governments have already made the difficult choice to cut 8,800 jobs. These unprecedented layoffs have extended the recession and slowed the recovery in Nevada.

And further budget shortfalls threaten thousands more jobs. Nationwide, state and local budget cuts could cost as many as 280,000 teacher jobs next year unless we act.

This Teachers and First Responders legislation will invest $30 billion to create or save nearly 400,000 teacher jobs. That money will help states and school districts stop more layoffs, and rehire tens of thousands of teachers laid off since this severe recession began.

It will also invest $5 billion to retain and rehire the police, firefighters and first responders who have protected our communities throughout tough economic times.

That is why it is so important that the Senate move quickly to this legislation.

I hope that we will be able to work together to finish the three appropriations bills before the Senate this week without the kind of obstructionism we have seen over the last 10 months.

Teachers out of work through no fault of their own and students who desperately need a good education are relying on us to act.

KEY PROVISIONS:

• $30 Billion To Create or Protect Nearly 400,000 Education Jobs. Nearly 300,000 education jobs have been lost since 2008, and state and local budget crisis will put as many as 280,000 teacher jobs at risk next year. The Senate bill will more than offset projected layoffs, providing support for nearly 400,000 education jobs.
• $5 Billion to Keep Thousands of Police and Firefighters on the Job. State and local budget cuts have forced thousands of cops and firefighters off the beat. The Senate bill will create or save thousands of first responder jobs across the nation through competitive grants to states and localities.
• Asking Millionaires to Pay Their Fair Share Without Adding a Dime to the Deficit. In order to create or save hundreds of thousands of teacher and first responder jobs, the Senate bill imposes a 0.5% surtax on modified adjusted gross income in excess of $1 million for both single filers and married couples filing jointly.  The surtax is effective for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012.

Americans Overwhelmingly Support Funding Teacher and First Responder Jobs.  According to a Gallup Poll from last month 75 percent of Americans support “providing additional funds to hire teachers, police officers and firefighters.”

This Legislation Is Based on Jobs Programs That Republicans Have Supported:

2007: 16 Republicans Voted To Fully Fund The COPS Program. In March 2007, 16 Republican Senators – including Senators Burr, Collins, Corker, Grassley, Hatch, Hutchison, McConnell, Murkowski, Roberts, Snowe, Thune and Vitter – joined Democrats in voting for an amendment that fully funded the COPS program by moving $598 million from another Justice Department function. [Vote 110, 3/23/07]

2006: 28 Republicans Voted For Increased Education Funding. In March 2006, 28 Republicans – including Senators Alexander, Cochran, Collins, Grassley, Hatch, Hutchison, Lugar, Murkowski, Roberts, Snowe and Thune – joined Democrats in voting to increase health, education and training, and low-income programs by $7 billion. [Vote 58, 3/16/06]

2005: 18 Republicans Voted Increase Education Funding By $500 Million. In March 2005, 18 Republicans – including Senators Collins, Crapo, Hatch, Hutchison, Lugar, Shelby, Snowe and Thune – joined Democrats in voting to add $500 million in education funding by diverting it from other programs. [Vote 56, 3/16/05]

2004: 49 Republicans Voted To Help States By Implementing Mandatory IDEA Funding Increases. In May 2004, 49 Republican Senators joined Democrats in voting for an amendment that required IDEA funding to increase by $2.3 billion each year for the next 7 years. [Vote 92, 5/12/04]

2001: 29 Republicans Voted To Fully Fund Grants To Local School Districts Under No Child Left Behind. In May 2001, 20 Republicans – including Senators Cochran, Collins, Crapo, Grassley, Hatch, Hutchison, Lugar, McCain, McConnell, Roberts, Sessions, Shelby and Snowe – joined Democrats in voting for an amendment to authorize full funding of grants to local school districts under Title 1 for ten years. [Vote 91, 5/3/01]

Sen. McConnell Said He Was “Proud to Have Played A Part In Securing Funds” For Emergency Responders. In a press release, Sen. McConnell said “This grant will support the efforts of the Lawrenceburg firefighters who risk their lives in service to others. I am proud to have played a part in securing funds for this vehicle to help ensure that the firefighters are adequately prepared to respond to emergencies.” [Press Release, 5/10/10]

Sen. Alexander Said Federal Funds Gave Firefighters The Resources They Needed to Save Lives. In a press release, Sen. Alexander said “This grant will help give the firefighters in Pikeville the vital resources they need to save lives. I appreciate the Department of Homeland Security’s investment in emergency preparedness, and I will continue to work to ensure that fire departments in Tennessee are ready and able to keep our citizens safe.” [Press Release, 7/30/09]

Sen. Barrasso Called Firefighters “Instrumental to Keeping Our Communities Safe and Secure.” In a press release, Sen. Barrasso said “Firefighters are instrumental to keeping our communities safe and secure.” [Press Release, 7/7/08]

Sen. Blunt Pledged to Fight For Funding For Kansas City Fire Fighters. “Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican, said the decision would ‘greatly disadvantage’ Kansas City. ‘We will continue working to call attention to this problem in order to ensure Kansas City receives the funding it needs,’ Blunt said.” [Kansas City Star, 5/21/11]

Sen. Boozman Said Federal Funding Gives Firefighters “The Tools They Need” In a press release, Sen. Boozman said “With the economic constraints many of our communities are experiencing, grants like this provide additional resources to protect Arkansans. This grant will help provide our firefighters the tools they need to stay safe while serving the community.” [Press Release, 7/29/10]

Sen. Scott Brown Said We Owe It To Firefighters “To Provide The Financial Resources To Keep Them Safe” In a press release, Sen. Brown said “Every day, our hardworking firefighters risk their lives to keep our families and communities safe, and we owe it to them to provide the financial resources to keep them safe in their incredibly dangerous jobs.” [Press Release, 5/8/10]

Sen. Burr Said Money To Hire More Firefighters Would Improve Safety, Response Times. “Firefighters risk their lives every day to help others. This grant will allow the Chapel Hill Fire Department to hire additional personnel which will improve firefighter safety and enhance emergency response times.” [Press Release, 10/19/06]

Sen. Cochran Was “Pleased” Federal Emergency Funding Went to Emergency Responders. In a Press Release, Sen. Cochran said “Municipal and volunteer fire departments apply for this federal assistance to improve their capacity to protect the public.  I am pleased that these resources will be used to enhance fire protection in our state.” [Press Release, 4/19/10]

Sen. Collins Said “In Every Case” Federal Firefighter Funding Eases Local Financial Burdens While Advancing The National Interest. In a column, Sen. Collins said “In many cases, these federal dollars enable a community’s department to obtain equipment it simply couldn’t afford on its own. And in every case, the federal grants ease local financial burdens while advancing the national interest in having first responders as prepared as possible for all disasters, whether natural or man-made.” [Press Release, 8/19/11]

Sen. Corker Said He Knows How Important It is That Firefighters Have the Best Possible Resources. In a press release, Sen. Corker said “Firefighters perform a tremendous public service, and as a former mayor I know firsthand how important it is that they have the best possible resources.” [Press Release, 7/30/09]

Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison Said It Is Vital That First Responders Have the Financial Support They Need Without Delay. In a letter to President Obama, Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison said “It is vital that first responders have the financial resources to support emergency protective measures to save lives, protect property and maintain the public’s health and safety. We ask that this be done now without delay.” [Press Release, 9/16/11]

Sen. Murkowski Took Credit for COPS and Law Enforcement Grants. “Through a funding measure signed into law July 29, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski was able to add provisions to the Tribal Law and Order Act that allows villages the same access to funding that cities and towns have long known. On Thursday, President Barack Obama signed a measure into law that now allows the State of Alaska, tribes and tribal organizations to fund VPSO positions with two different grants: Community Oriented Policing, or COPS grants, and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grants. Currently, VPSO positions are funded by the Alaska Department of Public Safety or through congressional earmarks. ‘The VPSOs are the police department, the fire department, the EMS and search and rescue all rolled into one,’ Murkowski said. ‘It is only fair that rural Alaska Native communities have the same access to public safety funds that communities and cities across America have.’” [Homer Tribune, 11/4/10]

Sen. Wicker Said Federal Emergency Funding Ensured Firefighters Had the Resources to Do Their Jobs. In a press release, Sen. Wicker said “Mississippi’s firefighters – many of them volunteers – are on the front lines when it comes to keeping people safe.  This important grant program ensures our firefighters have the resources to continue doing their jobs and protecting the public in emergency situations.” [Press Release, 4/19/10]

Sen. Kirk Said It Was “Imperative” That Emergency Responders “Are Always Properly Equipped and Staffed” In a press release, Sen. Kirk said “Like cities across America, the City of Waukegan has been grappling with serious financial issues in the wake of the Great Recession. It is imperative that our emergency responders are always properly equipped and staffed to keep our communities safe. I know Waukegan city officials–as well as the city’s residents–are grateful the Department of Homeland Security selected the City of Waukegan to receive these funds.” [Press Release, 6/1/11]

Sen. DeMint Was “Pleased” With Grants To Help South Carolina Hire More Fire Fighters. In a press release, Sen. DeMint said “South Carolina’s firefighters risk their lives to protect our families every day. I’m pleased they have been awarded these competitive grants that will assist in hiring more firefighters.” [Press Release, 12/28/06]

Sen. Enzi Said Local Firefighters Deserve Federal Funding For Best Resources Possible. In a press release, Sen. Enzi said “Local firefighters put their lives on the line to protect those they serve, and they should have access to the best resources possible. I am pleased that Campbell County Fire Department will be receiving this money to purchase the equipment they need to keep themselves and our communities safe.” [Press Release, 11/20/08]

Sen. Graham Said Federal Funds Will Help Local Fire Departments. “‘Firefighters and emergency service personnel dedicate themselves to protecting the health and safety of South Carolinians,’ said U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, grants. ‘These grants will help our local fire departments and rescue squads by providing them the means to obtain the best equipment and training available.’” [Anderson Independent-Mail, 2/13/10]

Sen. Grassley Said It Was Important For First Responders To Be Adequately Staffed. In a press release, Sen. Grassley said “As the community’s first responders, it’s important that the Urbandale Fire Department be properly trained and adequately staffed. This funding will be used to recruit and retain firefighters to help keep Urbandale secure.” [Press Release, 3/29/10]

Sen. Heller Said Providing First Responders With Necessary Resources is “Vital” In a press release, Heller said “Fire Departments are often the first to arrive in crisis situations. Providing them with the resources necessary for training is vital when every second counts. First responders are critical to the safety of every community and I am pleased this funding has been made available to the Reno Fire Department” [Press Release, 11/1/07]

Sen. Inhofe Said Federal Funding Helped Provide Necessary Resources for First Responders. In a press release, Sen. Inhofe said “These grants help provide the tools and resources necessary to protect the health and safety of Oklahoma firefighters and the Oklahomans they serve and protect. These awards will be used to increase the firefighting operations, fund fire fighter health and safety programs, acquire new fire apparatus, enhance EMS programs, and conduct fire prevention and safety programs.” [Press Release, 10/30/03]

Sen. Isakson Called Federal Funding “Welcome News” For Emergency Personnel. In a press release, Sen. Isakson said “I am grateful for the heroic efforts of the emergency personnel and the firefighters who battled this unwieldy and fast-spreading fire and protected our citizens. This funding is welcome news.” [Press Release, 12/3/07]

Sen. Lugar Called First Responders “The Backbone of Our Communities” In a press release, Sen. Lugar said “First responders are the backbone of our communities and it is vital to ensure they have the proper equipment and training.” [Press Release, 2/11/10]

Bart Giamatti, the kind of well-rounded man qualified to serve both as President of Yale and commissioner of Major League Baseball, once called education the “heart of a civil society.”

But he also said the heart of education “is the act of teaching.”

The commitment to educate the children of this nation is our greatest investment in our collective future.

It is the key to keeping the American Dream alive, and crucial to staying competitive in a global economy.

Teachers are the stewards of that investment. But the terrible recession that has rocked our national economy has threatened their ability to give our children the education they deserve.

Since 2008, state and local budget cuts have cost this country 300,000 education jobs. Nearly 200,000 of those jobs were lost in the last year alone.

Schools are feeling the pinch of larger class sizes, especially at the elementary and middle-school levels. The number of children in elementary school classrooms has a direct correlation to student achievement, and even to college graduation rates.

Districts have also shortened school days and school years, and eliminated summer school programs that help underprivileged children compete.

And they’ve cut art and music classes and after school activities that keep students engaged and prevent everything from high school dropouts to juvenile delinquency to teen pregnancy.

But while these cuts have been difficult, things could be much worse.

The Recovery Act and the Education Jobs Fund provided money to keep 422,000 teachers in the classroom for a year.

School districts across the country used that federal funding to keep class sizes small and ensure students are getting the world-class education they deserve. They used the funding to ensure America’s children are trained for the jobs of today and prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.

Still, as the economy continues to struggle, so do state and local budgets. And that means schools that are already doing more with less will continue to be at risk.

Although Democrats have saved hundreds of thousands of teacher jobs already, schools have still lost 300,000 educators since this recession began.

And the brain drain could get even worse.

State and local budget cuts could cost as many as 280,000 teacher jobs next year alone unless we do more.

That’s why President Obama proposed we invest $30 billion as part of the American Jobs Act to keep our schools well-staffed and ensure our children are well-educated.

Republicans blocked that job-creating legislation, which would have put 2 million people back to work in classrooms and construction sites across the country.

But Democrats haven’t given up on keeping our schools fully staffed. Nearly 300,000 teacher jobs are at risk, and so is the quality of our education system.

Unless local school districts get a helping hand, many will be forced to make more difficult choices between laying educators off or going without schoolbooks, paper and other supplies.

Democrats will pursue the President’s plan to keep nearly 400,000 teachers and support staff where they belong – in the classroom. A $30 billion investment will help local school districts not only avoid layoffs, but also rehire tens of thousands of teachers who have already lost their jobs because of budget cuts.

We will also commit $5 billion to retaining the police, firefighters and first responders who work so hard to keep our communities safe, and to rehiring those who have been laid off during these tough economic times.

Our economy cannot afford to lose any more jobs.

Our communities cannot afford to lose the men and women who keep us safe and secure.

And our nation cannot afford to lose the competitive edge a world-class education system gives us in a constantly changing world.

Democrats are committed to protecting the heart of education Bart Giamatti spoke of – the talented teachers who will shape our civil society.