Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, is holding a townhall at the Capitol Thursday to rally support for public education.
Sanders, joined by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and more than 100 teachers and education leaders, is expected “to discuss the teacher pay crisis impacting schools, students and communities,” according to a press release.
“It is simply unacceptable that, in the richest country in the history of the world, 40 [percent] of teachers have to work extra jobs just to make ends meet,” Sanders wrote in a statement, adding later, “We need the best education system in the world, and that means we need the best teachers. To get the best teachers, we need to pay them what they deserve.”
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten and National Education Association (NEA) Vice president Princess Moss will also give remarks.
The event comes as the Education Department as well as public schools and universities have been under the microscope since President Trump returned to office.
The town hall is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. EDT.
Watch the live video above.
