GOP House members seek to cut education budget — but not nearly as deeply as Trump proposed
House Republicans are seeking to cut the Education Department’s budget by $2.4 billion, or 3.5 percent — a substantial reduction, although far smaller than the $9.2 billion in cuts that President Trump proposed.
The House GOP also appears to have largely rejected Trump’s proposals to expand private- and public-school choice, according to education advocates who have studied an Appropriations Committee bill released Wednesday afternoon. Expanding school choice is a key priority for the White House and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
“One big takeaway is that people know that what the president pushed for is not at all feasible,” said Kelly McManus, director of government affairs for the Education Trust, an advocacy organization that has been critical of Trump’s education agenda.
Trump had sought $1 billion to encourage public school districts to adopt choice-friendly policies, and another $250 million to expand private school voucher programs. The GOP budget bill appears to leave out both.
Jennifer Hing, a spokeswoman for the Appropriations Committee’s Republican majority, declined to confirm that the two programs would not be funded, saying that would become clear next week when the committee publishes its bill report.
House Republicans would increase funding for charter schools by $28 million, to $370 million. Trump had proposed a far larger bump to $500 million.
A spokeswoman for the Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for GOP House members seek to cut education budget — but not nearly as deeply as Trump proposed - The Washington Post:
