Teachers unions love to talk about "fighting for the children."
They claim every dollar they collect goes toward better education and protecting teachers.
But a conservative watchdog just caught teachers unions in one massive scheme that exposed their real agenda.
Unions funneled $43.5 million to radical leftist causes
The conservative nonprofit Defending Ed released a bombshell report that blew the lid off what America’s two largest teachers unions have really been doing with their money.
After digging through financial records from the National Education Association (NEA) and American Federation of Teachers (AFT), researchers discovered these unions have poured a staggering $43.5 million into far-left political causes since 2022.
That’s right – while teachers struggle with classroom supplies and parents worry about declining test scores, union bosses were writing massive checks to radical activist groups.
The money didn’t go to education programs or teacher support.
Instead, it flowed directly to organizations like the Tides Network, New Venture Fund, Sixteen-Thirty Fund, and Future Forward – the Super PAC that backed Kamala Harris’ failed 2024 presidential campaign.
"It is clear that the teachers unions’ priorities are advancing far-left politics and radical social justice issues, not the education of children," Defending Ed researcher Rhyen Staley told Fox News Digital. "This is a slap in the face to families and teachers who want to focus on helping students improve their reading and math skills. It is time that Congress acts to stop this obscene redistribution of public monies to advance left-wing identity politics."¹
Union expert exposes the stunning misallocation of funds
The numbers get even worse when you dig deeper into how these unions actually spend their budgets.
Aaron Withe, a public-sector union expert, revealed that the National Education Association spends less than 10% of its budget on what he called "representational activities" – you know, actually representing teachers.
Meanwhile, these same unions spend 38% of their budget on contributions to left-wing groups, lobbying, and political gifts.
Think about that for a moment.
Teachers pay dues expecting their union to fight for better working conditions, higher salaries, and classroom resources.
Instead, union bosses like NEA President Becky Pringle and AFT President Randi Weingarten are taking that money and handing it over to groups pushing men in women’s sports, transitioning minors, and antisemitic causes.
"You’d think in light of the decline in union membership in recent years, that they’d start providing value to members that outweighs the cost of membership," Withe explained to Fox News Digital.²
"Instead, they are appeasing the radical base of union members by advocating for men in women’s sports, transitioning minors, antisemitism and other radical ideological stances."
The scheme goes much deeper than anyone imagined
The $43.5 million figure represents just the tip of the iceberg.
These national unions also sent significant cash to groups specifically focused on electing Democrat politicians, including the Democratic Governors Association and Democrat House and Senate Majority PACs.
Major left-wing think tanks like the Center for American Progress received close to a million dollars from these unions since 2022 alone.
But Withe pointed out that this massive financial scheme extends far beyond just the two national organizations.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg when you consider that there are thousands of statewide and city and county teachers unions that are mostly funding the same causes," he noted.³
What this really means for American families
Look, this whole scheme exposes exactly what conservatives have been saying about teachers unions for years.
These aren’t organizations dedicated to education – they’re political machines using teachers’ dues to advance a radical leftist agenda.
While parents struggle to help their kids with math and reading, union bosses are writing checks to the same groups pushing Critical Race Theory and gender ideology in classrooms.
The timing couldn’t be more revealing either.
Union membership has been declining since the Supreme Court struck down mandatory dues, and instead of focusing on providing actual value to teachers, these organizations doubled down on political activism.
This betrayal runs deeper than just misused money.
Teachers who joined these unions expecting professional representation discovered their dues were funding the very ideological battles tearing apart American education.
Parents sending their children to government schools now know exactly who’s been bankrolling the push to indoctrinate their kids instead of educating them.
And here’s the kicker – much of this union funding ultimately comes from taxpayers through public employee salaries.
So American families are essentially paying twice: once through their tax dollars that fund teacher salaries, and again when those salary dollars get funneled through union dues to radical political causes.
The scheme is so brazen that neither the National Education Association nor the American Federation of Teachers even bothered responding to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
They can’t defend the indefensible.
When conservative watchdog groups like Defending Ed start exposing the money trail, suddenly these union bosses have nothing to say.
That tells you everything you need to know about where their real priorities lie.
¹ Rhyen Staley, quoted in "Nation’s 2 largest teachers unions funneled nearly $50M to left-wing groups, watchdog report says," Fox News, August 24, 2025.
² Aaron Withe, quoted in "Nation’s 2 largest teachers unions funneled nearly $50M to left-wing groups, watchdog report says," Fox News, August 24, 2025.
³ Ibid.
