A push for school choice fell short in Trump's first term. He may now have a more willing Congress
The election of Donald Trump returns an ally of school choice to the White House, this time with a Republican-controlled Senate — and potentially House — that could be more supportive of the kind of initiatives that fizzled during his first term
WASHINGTON (AP) — The election of Donald Trump returns an ally of school choice to the White House, this time with a Republican-controlled Senate — and potentially House — that could be more supportive of proposals that fizzled during his first term.
Although proposals to expand private schooling suffered high-profile defeats in several states, Trump’s victory has brought new optimism to advocates of supporting school choice at the federal level. One of their main priorities: tax credits for donations to organizations that provide private school scholarships.
Jim Blew, who served as an assistant secretary in the U.S. Education Department in the first Trump administration, said he's hopeful the new Congress will greenlight ideas like tax credits for scholarships.
“The new members are all very clearly supportive of school choice, and I think that’s going to change the dynamics,” said Blew, who co-founded the conservative Defense of Freedom Institute.
