By a 61-39 vote today, the U.S. Senate put its finishing touches on an aid to state and local governments bill that would save or create nearly a million jobs for teachers, public employees, police officers, firefighters and others. The measure is fully paid for, in part because it closes tax loopholes for multi-national corporations that send U.S. jobs overseas.
The bill provides $16 billion for a Medicaid funding assistance program known as FMAP and $10 billion for teachers’ jobs. Without such funding, the states facing huge budget shortfalls will be forced to begin massive layoffs that could cost nearly a million workers their jobs.
Now it is up to the House to take the final vote before sending the bill to the White House for President Obama’s signature. Click here to tell your representative to vote for the bill and support Medicaid and teacher funding to save jobs. continue reading