A national “school choice” program in the “Big, Beautiful Bill” was signed into law on Independence Day by President Donald Trump, drawing both applause and concerns from conservatives.
Language protecting religious liberty and seeking to restrain government control of private schools was stripped from the legislation before passage.
Supporters argued that the program, even though it was scaled back significantly from the original version passed by the House, will still help some families to choose private schools.
Critics on the left — teachers unions, the legacy media, and Democrats — shrieked about the alleged attack on government education. Among other concerns, they suggested this was calculated to re-direct funds into private and religious education at the expense of government schools.
Opponents on the right, though, had very different concerns. They warned that the scheme would eventually be used to try to control non-government education options. “Choice” programs in other nations such as Sweden, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Belgium, Germany and more have done exactly that. Even some states have moved in that direction.
Under the provisions of the new law, taxpayers who give money to a “scholarship granting organization” certified by the U.S. Treasury will receive a tax credit for the amount contributed. The donation is limited to either $5,000 or 10 percent of income.
Those government-approved “SGOs,” as they are called, are then supposed to grant scholarships to students and families in their states for private education, homeschooling, and other qualified educational expenses. The program is capped at $5 billion — for now.
A similar state-level scheme in Florida routes money through an “SGO” known as “Step Up.” That organization has partnered with a radical anti-Christian LGBTQ+ group to promote sex and gender indoctrination in private education.
The initial version of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would have expanded the new voucher program nationwide. But the version that passed into law requires states to opt in to the program.
That provision, which was inserted by the U.S. Senate, means most Democrat-controlled states will not participate. Writing on social media, U.S. Representative Keith Self said that “leaves blue state students in failing schools with ‘optional’ school choice.”
GOP lawmakers vowed to keep pushing to expand the program more, though. U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who sponsored the original provision, said enshrining the “first ever federal school choice provision into our nation’s tax code is a major win.”
But more will be done, he promised. “We will continue to advocate for and pass improvements moving forward,” added Cassidy, whose political campaigns have been lavishly funded by Big Pharma and other groups hoping to expand sales of their government-funded schemes into private schools.
Across the conservative Internet and media ecosystem, commentators and lawmakers claimed the original House version would have protected private schools from federal control. But despite some language purporting to limit government meddling, the camel’s nose of government control was certainly going to get under the tent.
As documented by The Newman Report on June 9, the House’s original language would have forced private schools taking the money to obey costly, unconstitutional federal statutes and mandates.
Of particular concern: All participants in the program would have been forced to obey the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). That will eventually embed Medicaid and “mental health” programs into private education, experts warned.
The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has long called for offering public funds to private schools in exchange for compliance. In a major report on regulating “non-state education providers,” taxpayer funding was touted as the key mechanism to bring in government control, testing, standards, and more.
Even with the IDEA provision removed, critics still expressed numerous concerns with the measure that passed. Richard Hawkins, who serves as chairman of an umbrella group for ministries involved in Christian education known as the “Christian Education Initiative” (CEI), sounded the alarm about the prospect of government regulation.
As an example, he pointed to President Biden’s decree that any school receiving federal funds had to open girls’ restrooms to males. “With both federal and state controls or potential for controls on ‘private’ education, this is the wrong move, knowing the global-minded elite’s push for control,” the CEI chief told The Newman Report.
“We have so little influence at the federal level to stop bad legislation compared with influence with state legislators,” he continued. “I’m convinced our federal representatives no longer consider us their constituents.… They’re sold out to their major donors.”
Rather than getting the federal government more involved in education, and government more deeply involved with private schools, Congress and America should be moving in the opposite direction.
“Biblically, we need to eliminate civil government intrusion into the family’s duty and responsibility,” said Hawkins, whose organization represents multiple prominent ministries involved in Christian education. “The feds need to get away from all aspects of education from a constitutional stance.”
Even some of the lawmakers and lobbying organizations involved in pushing the measure admitted privately to The Newman Report that they are concerned about the prospect of government regulation. However, they said the benefits would hopefully outweigh the risks.
One of the powerhouses behind the push for government-funded “school choice,” the American Federation for Children, celebrated the measure’s passage. Calling it “a historic moment for America’s families and students,” AFC CEO Tommy Schultz vowed to continue the fight and seek for it to be expanded “as soon as possible.”
Schultz appears to have taken over as lead spokesman after the previous face of the organization, who was listed on the United Nations’ education agency’s website, was outed as a former homosexual porn star.
Funding for the controversial group comes from, among other sources, billionaire heiress Betsy DeVos. She helped save the deeply unpopular Common Core in Michigan and signed an international agreement calling for further “internationalization” of education. Even more alarming, she publicly called for redefining “public education” to include all education, including private schools.
Billionaire population control zealot Bill Gates, another key figure behind Common Core and the Covid hysteria, is another major financier of the government-funded “school choice” movement. He also signed a deal with UNESCO to globalize education prior to his involvement with Common Core.
The heirs to the Walmart fortune have also been a large source of funds for the government-funded “school choice” movement. Other large financiers of the effort include Koch-backed organizations.
This article was originally published at FreedomProject Media and is republished here with permission.