Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is pushing back against a social media outcry over her proposal to slash $17.6 million in federal funding for the Special Olympics.
In a statement Wednesday, she blamed the media and some members of Congress for “falsehoods and fully misrepresenting the facts" a day after her defense of the Trump administration budget request during a congressional hearing went viral. Some tweets claimed DeVos had already cut the funding.
"Make no mistake: we are focused every day on raising expectations and improving outcomes for infants and toddlers, children and youth with disabilities, and are committed to confronting and addressing anything that stands in the way of their success,” she said. "The President’s budget reflects that commitment.”
The department’s fiscal 2020 proposal would eliminate federal money for Special Olympics Education programs. The department’s last two budget proposals would also have eliminated federal funding, but nothing would be cut unless Congress agreed to do so, and Congress has rejected her plans.
The funds are just a portion of the overall revenue from all sources for the Special Olympics, which reported $124 million in unrestricted revenues, gains and other support for the year ending Dec. 31, 2017, in a financial statement posted on its website.
Get the Exclusive
05.06.2025