For days the White House has been pummeled in the media because it was suggested in the budget proposal by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to cut spending from, among other things, Special Olympics.
Well now apparently that has changed.
It’s just been reported that Trump has reversed this decision to include the Special Olympics cut in the new budget:
Trump announces reversal on Special Olympics: “The Special Olympics will be funded, I just told my people.”
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) March 28, 2019
Pres Trump says Special Olympics will be funded. Tells reporters he heard about the proposed budget cuts this morning, and has overridden his people and just authorized the funding.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) March 28, 2019
Here’s more from the AP:
President Donald Trump says he is backing off a budget request to cut funding for the Special Olympics, after days of criticism.
Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday, “I’ve overridden my people for funding the Special Olympics.”
The Trump administration’s education budget proposal calls for the elimination of $17.6 million in funding for the Special Olympics, roughly 10 percent of the group’s overall revenue.
Democrats pressed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on the topic during a Senate budget hearing Thursday, just days after House Democrats grilled her on the proposal and sparked criticism online.
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.
What’s interesting is that this is only a request that Congress would have to approve. It’s not like they were making a unilateral decision to cut the funding. But by the way they were vilified, you’d think so.
That said, it is the Special Olympics and it means a lot to many people. There’s really no need to fall on your sword for a smaller budget cut like this.