DeVos Slammed Over Plan To Eliminate Special Olympics Funding

WASHINGTON, DC — Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is facing sharp blowback over a proposal to eliminate $17.6 million in federal funding for Special Olympics. House Democrats grilled DeVos over the proposal, part of plan for $7 billion in education spending reductions in 2020, during a House Appropriations subcommittee meeting Tuesday, and the education secretary also was sternly rebuked by celebrities, other politicians and activists.

In a statement Wednesday, DeVos said her proposal reflects "current budget realities" and has been unfairly portrayed. “It is unacceptable, shameful and counterproductive that the media and some members of Congress have spun up falsehoods and fully misrepresented the facts,” DeVos wrote.

The Trump administration is “committed” to helping the nation’s 7 million students with disabilities succeed, DeVos said, but she pointed out the Special Olympics isn’t a federal program, but a private organization that receives about $100 million annually in philanthropic support. The billionaire education secretary is among the charity's donors.

“Government cannot fund every worthy program, particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations,” DeVos wrote.

During the tense hearing Tuesday, DeVos admitted she didn’t know how many children would be affected by the cut to Special Olympics, which helps children with intellectual disabilities become more physically fit and gives them the opportunity to participate in Olympic-type sports.

“I’ll answer it for you, that's OK, no problem,” Wisconsin Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan said. "It’s 272,000 kids that are affected."

DeVos responded that “Special Olympics is an awesome organization, one that is well supported by the philanthropic sector as well.”

Special Olympics, founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, is the world’s largest sporting organization for people with intellectual disabilities. According to the Special Olympics website, it works with more than 5 million athletes in 174 countries.

Members of the Kennedy family quickly responded to the proposal.

On Facebook, Eunice Shriver’s daughter Maria Shriver wrote the proposed cuts are “outrageous in every way.”

“Let’s let our voices be heard,” she wrote. “No cutting Special Olympics.”

“This will never happen. Full stop,” Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Eunice Kennedy Shriver's grand-nephew, tweeted. “But the mere suggestion illustrates how little this Administration values the Americans and families they pledge to serve.”

California Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee called the proposal “appalling.”

The outcry wasn’t limited to Democrats.

In a tweet, Republican John Kasich, former Ohio governor and congressman, called proposal to cut autism funding and eliminate Special Olympics funding “outrageous” and “ridiculous,”

Kasich, who chaired the House Budget Committee during his time in Congress, said “these types of programs were off limits — for good reason.”

Julie Foudy, the former captain of the U.S. women’s soccer team, also called out DeVos, encouraging the education secretary to read a report on the power of Special Olympics programs in U.S. schools, both for children with and without intellectual disabilities.

Actress Marlee Matlin, a Special Olympics volunteer, tweeted that DeVos’ proposal “will adversely affect thousands with developmental disabilities.”

“Don’t let this happen!” she tweeted.

Last year, the billionaire education secretary donated her $199,700 salary, splitting it equally among four charities, including Special Olympics, Politico reported. Other charities were Kids Hope USA, which targets at-risk children in public schools with programs designed by churches; Vision to Learn, which provides low-income children glasses at no cost; and Dreams Soar, which focuses on encouraging girls to pursue degrees and careers in STEM fields and aviation.

Special Olympics press secretary Liz Hill said in a statement to Newsweek that while Special Olympics raises $100 million every year through philanthropy and while the Secretary is very personally supportive of their mission and work, the activities of Special Olympics are better supported with other state, local and private funds.”

During the hearing, DeVos urged Congress to spend $60 million more on charter schools, saying in prepared remarks: “We are not doing our children any favors when we borrow from their future in order to invest in systems and policies that are not yielding better results.”

Her budget proposal for 2020 also include the creation of a tax credit for individuals and companies that donate to scholarships for private schools; calls for the elimination of billions of dollars in grants to improve student achievement.

The proposed Education Department budget is part of President Trump’s overall $4.7 trillion budget, which would add about $1 trillion to the annual deficit. “We had some difficult decisions with this budget,” DeVos said.