DeVos Can't Defend Her And Trump's Cruel Education Budget

“This is a difficult budget request to defend.”

Even Senator Roy Blunt, who has over the years benefited from more than $35,000 in campaign contributions from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and her family, had no choice but to admit that DeVos and Trump’s proposed Department of Education budget cuts are devastating.

Things didn’t go well for DeVos at today’s Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee hearing on the Trump Administration’s Education budget request. In addition to yet again proving that she lacks the experience and knowledge to lead the Education Department, DeVos, among other things, refused to commit to working for full anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ kids in schools, and even suggested she thinks that it’s fine for for-profit elementary school CEOs to make millions funneling off public education funds.

DeVos didn’t have an explanation for Trump’s draconian cuts in an education budget that calls for a 13% spending reduction across the board, and which would make it harder for millions of kids to get a quality education — including by slashing funds for after-school, literacy, and teacher training programs.

American Bridge’s latest policy brief, “Trump Policy Brief: Cuts to Higher Education Programs,” gets into Trump’s big proposed budget cuts to programs that students count on to pursue their higher education goals.

Additional American Bridge research reports on the Trump Administration’s early actions on education policy are available here from the Trump Accountability Project:

Published: Jun 6, 2017