The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers directed roughly $43.5 million to political action committees and left-leaning nonprofits between 2022 and 2024, according to a report released on 24 August by conservative watchdog group Defending Ed. The study, which reviewed publicly available spending disclosures, lists beneficiaries such as the Democratic Governors Association, Senate Majority PAC, the Tides Network, Sixteen-Thirty Fund, New Venture Fund and Future Forward, the super-PAC that backed Vice-President Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential bid. Less than 10 percent of the NEA’s budget went to representational activities, while more than a third funded contributions, lobbying or political gifts, the report says. The findings come as both unions confront declining membership after a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that barred mandatory dues for public-sector workers. Defending Ed argues the spending underscores a shift toward partisan advocacy rather than classroom priorities and has called on Congress to tighten oversight. The NEA and AFT did not respond to requests for comment.