Teachers’ unions have directed more than $1 billion from member dues and fees toward political activism and progressive causes since 2015, according to a new report from a watchdog group.
The analysis by Defending Education tallies spending at both the national and local levels, estimating $669 million from national organizations and another $339 million from local affiliates.
Two of the largest national unions—the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA)—account for the bulk of that total, with a combined $669 million spent over the past decade. Among those expenditures was $44 million given to For Our Future, a progressive organization focused on issues such as social equity and climate policy in battleground states.
Defending Education released two separate reports detailing spending by national and local teachers’ unions. “These entities are a political machine,” Rhyen Staley, research director at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital.
“Show me your budget and I will show you what you value; and what the teachers unions value is political power and advancing a left wing, social justice agenda. Parents, families, and communities have little to no counter to the influence that teachers union dollars have on state and local campaigns. Gone are the days of unions just advocating for higher wages, better working conditions, and good health insurance; they are a political machine focused on fomenting a ‘political revolution.’”
According to the report, union spending reaches a wide network of progressive groups and political committees. This includes more than $60 million to the State Engagement Fund and over $40 million to the For Our Future Action Fund and related organizations.
Tens of millions of dollars were also funneled to major Democratic-aligned political committees such as the Senate Majority PAC and the House Majority PAC.
The findings further indicate that more than $85 million was contributed directly to Democratic Party entities at the federal, state, and local levels, excluding donations made to individual candidates.
Beyond direct political contributions, unions supported a variety of progressive initiatives—from environmental efforts to ballot measures opposing school choice—often channeling funds through nonprofit organizations and political action committees.
Groups identified in the report as recipients of union funding include Color of Change + PAC, Indivisible, the National Center for Transgender Equality, Planned Parenthood, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the New Venture Fund, and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
Defending Education President Nicole Neily said the report calls into question common assumptions about how union dues are spent.
“It’s time to dispense with the myth that unions care whatsoever about teachers’ best interests. Educators are victims of a bait-and-switch: instead of their dues going to advocate for increased pay or improved working environments, they’re being spent advancing a hard-left political agenda, underwriting causes such as climate change, gender activism, and abortion (as well as supporting progressive politicians at all levels),” Neily said.