In the case of the $17.6 million cut to help fund the Special Olympics, DeVos suggested it is better supported by philanthropy and added, 'We had to make some difficult decisions with this budget.'
CONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMOREWASHINGTON — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Tuesday defended deep cuts to programs meant to help students and others, including eliminating $18 million to support Special Olympics, while urging Congress to spend millions more on charter schools.
While proposing to add $60 million more to charter school funding and create a tax credit for individual and companies that donate to scholarships for private schools, DeVos' budget proposal would still cut more than $7 billion from the Education Department, about 10 percent of its current budget. President Trump proposed a $4.7 trillion overall budget this month with an annual deficit expected to run about $1 trillion.
"Do you know how many kids are going to be affected by that cut?" asked U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin, while also pointing out a recent report by a nonprofit group that concluded the U.S. government has spent as much as $1 billion on charter schools that never opened or they closed because of mismanagement or other reasons.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who is chairwoman of the subcommittee that held the hearing, called the budget proposal "cruel and reckless," saying it "will hurt the middle class and low-income families that most need our help."
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