Having seen Education Secretary Betsy DeVos slammed today as she tried to defend the department’s proposed budget cuts – including the elimination of funding for the Special Olympics – in a hearing before House lawmakers this afternoon, President Trump has – for the second time in a week – overridden his administration, telling a pool of reporters that the Special Olympics will be funded.
“The Special Olympics is not a federal program. It’s a private organization. I love its work, and I have personally supported its mission. Because of its important work, it is able to raise more than $100 million every year,” DeVos said in a statement.
“There are dozens of worthy nonprofits that support students and adults with disabilities that don’t get a dime of federal grant money. But given our current budget realities, the federal government cannot fund every worthy program, particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations,” she added.
According to Education Week, the proposal released earlier this month would gut at least 29 programs in an attempt to save some $7 billion, including the elimination of $17.6 million in funding for the Special Olympics, roughly 10 percent of the group’s overall revenue.
“We had to make some difficult decisions with this budget,” DeVos told a House subcommittee.
“Madam Secretary, I have to say, and maybe it’s offensive: Shame on you,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said per CNN.
But now, having faced widespread backlash from the decision, President Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday,
“I’ve overridden my people for funding the Special Olympics.”
DeVos said she “wasn’t personally involved” in pushing for elimination of the funding, but she defended it as her agency seeks to cut $7 billion from the 2020 budget.
This ‘override’ follows Trump’s decision to go against his administration’s plans to place further sanctions on North Korea.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2YvrYae Tyler Durden