Rep. Joseph Kennedy III said Thursday Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ plan to cut 18 million dollars from Special Olympics, an organization his great-aunt founded, is “cruel” and “misguided.”
“I have no idea why we would make these cuts and try to blame it on budget cuts and strict budget environment. Republicans just passed a tax cut that reduced funding into our coffers and to then say you don’t have money for Special Olympics or autism funding? It’s cruel, it’s misguided, and it’s outrageous,” the Massachusetts Democrat said on CNN’s “New Day” show.
Mr. Kennedy added that he’s confident the cuts “would never happen” because Special Olympics does such good work to so many children across the country.
Ms. Devos was slammed on Tuesday for the proposed cuts to the Special Olympics while justifying her department’s proposed 2020 budget, which Rep. Mark Pocan, Wisconsin Democrat, said would affect “272,000 kids.”
The education secretary said they “had to make some difficult decisions,” adding the program is “well supported by the philanthropic sector.”
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.