A provision in the wide-ranging tax and spending bill passed by congressional Republicans and signed into law by President Donald Trump allows states to opt out of a controversial program aimed at expanding school choice availability across the country.
The legislation that Trump signed last week included the Educational Choice for Children Act, which creates a nationwide school choice program and a tax credit for businesses and individuals who donate to nonprofits that provide scholarships for students looking to avoid attending public schools.
The final version of the bill passed by the Senate lifts the $5 billion cap on the federal government's spending of the program but allows governors to choose whether their state administers tax credits. This means that many Democrat governors will likely avoid adopting the program, which conservatives had hoped would expand into blue states.
"I will say the House version ended up being better than what passed, and there's still a lot to be done to see if it's improved on down the road," said Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice, a pro-school choice advocacy organization. "I would phrase it this way — not to be a naysayer, which I'm not — I'm excited about it. So we at EdChoice are excited that more families have more options, except, I would say, Congress took a big swing at school choice and hit a single in this program."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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