Candidate Biden was the clear favorite among teachers unions during the 2020 election cycle and so far into his presidency, teachers unions have scored several political victories.
The Biden administration’s closeness with teachers unions is facing fresh scrutiny after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Monday a new crackdown on the alleged threats and harassment of school officials and teachers across the country.
Republicans have raised concerns that it will be used against the free speech rights of parents, who have been especially vocal about school policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and about critical race theory being taught to children.
Garland’s announcement came just days after the National School Board Association, which represents more than 90,000 school board members, wrote a letter to Biden asking his administration to treat parent protests at school board meetings as possible acts of “domestic terrorism.”
It’s the latest development in a string of policy decisions apparently influenced by teachers unions since Biden assumed office, as he had promised during his campaign.
“You don’t just have a partner in the White House, you’ll have an [National Education Association] NEA member in the White House,” Biden told the NEA in July 2020, referring to his wife, first lady Jill Biden, who is a member of the union. “And if I’m not listening, I’m going to be sleeping alone in the Lincoln Bedroom.”
Biden received more contributions from teachers unions than any other candidate during the 2020 election cycle by a wide margin. And what’s more than the monetary contributions of teachers unions is their scope: The American Federation of Teachers has 1.7 million members, according to its website, and the NEA has more than 3 million members according to its site, making up well over half of Biden’s popular vote margin of victory over former President Trump in November. Both unions endorsed Biden last March.
