By The nation’s two largest teachers’ unions are facing new scrutiny after a report accused them of devoting large portions of their budgets to political causes and Democratic-aligned organizations rather than direct services for their members.
The report, released by the Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University, examined financial disclosures from the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, which together represent about 4.6 million educators nationwide, writes The Free Press.
According to the report, the NEA’s annual disbursement budget reached $450 million in fiscal year 2025. Less than $46 million, or about 10 percent, went toward activities that directly supported or represented union members.
“You read a stat like that,” Tova Plaut, a New York City teacher and member of both the NEA and AFT to The Free Press, “and you start to wonder, Where is all that money going?”
The NEA reported $51.7 million in political activities and lobbying during the same period, along with $123.3 million in contributions, gifts, and grants. While many of those grants were listed under broad categories such as “general contributions,” the report said further review showed substantial funding directed to organizations involved in partisan politics.
One of the largest recipients was the State Engagement Fund, which supports left-leaning political efforts. The NEA has contributed more than $58 million to the group since 2018, including a $4.9 million payment in fiscal year 2025. The report said that payment was the union’s single largest external expenditure that year and was described in public filings as a “contribution” or “Natl partnership grant.”
The report also cited ties between union leadership and progressive funding networks. Both the NEA and AFT have given millions to the Democracy Alliance, a donor network that supports liberal initiatives. NEA’s former executive director John Stocks chaired the Democracy Alliance board in 2014, while current executive director Kim Anderson previously worked there. AFT President Randi Weingarten was also an early backer.
NCRI’s review found that more than 90 percent of the NEA’s political expenditures supported Democratic candidates or causes.
The AFT also drew scrutiny for a $10,000 contribution in fiscal year 2024 to a synagogue led by Weingarten’s wife, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum. The payment went to a charitable fund focused on Jewish and LGBTQ+ social justice initiatives. Similar donations came from other unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
An AFT spokesperson said the contribution supported “a public, charitable fund” called “The Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum & Randi Weingarten Fund for Social Justice at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah.”
The report also highlighted a $1 million NEA payment in 2019 to the Greater Wisconsin Committee, which was classified as a “ballot grant” for issue advocacy. The transfer came weeks before Wisconsin’s closely contested gubernatorial race. The committee ran advertisements supporting Democrat Tony Evers, who defeated Republican Gov. Scott Walker by 1.1 percentage points.
A Department of Labor spokesperson said public union filings help members oversee their organizations and “participate in the democratic governance of their union.” A senior adviser in the Trump administration said the Department of Education would review the report and consider whether further investigation is warranted.
The findings come amid long-running criticism over union priorities. Over the past two decades, average teacher salaries have fallen more than 6 percent in real terms, from about $75,000 to $70,000, even as per-pupil education spending has increased by 25 percent.
Plaut said the spending pattern reflects a broader failure to prioritize teachers.
“When a union stops prioritizing members and spends the majority of dues on things other than teachers’ needs, the obvious effect is that the members suffer. And we are suffering.”
She added: “When will the union wake up and put their members first?”
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