David Mark Moderator :
POLITICO's David Rogers reports on a rift between the White House and congressional Democrats over education funding that threatens teacher jobs across the nation. Why is the party so divided over an issue that would seem like a shared goal? Are teachers unions - a core Democratic constituency - suffering under the Obama White House? Has the administration given insufficient attention to pending teacher layoffs?
And what does this episode suggest about broader tension between the Obama White House and congressional Democrats as the midterm elections approach? As POLITICO's Jonathan Allen reports the situation grew so combustible just before the July 4th recess that Appropriations Chairman Dave Obey insisted a White House threat to veto his education spending package backfired. "We got more votes tonight because of that than we would have had otherwise," Obey told POLITICO after accusing Education Secretary Arne Duncan of "whining" over the plan to cut $800 million in "Race to the Top" funds to help offset the $10 billion to avoid teacher layoffs around the country.