Trump administration proposes to end all government funding for the Special Olympics, arguing that private philanthropy will pick up the bill

YouTube/House Appropriations Committee

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos at a House Appropriations Committee meeting on Tuesday to discuss the 2020 education budget.

• Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has submitted a plan to axe all funding for the Special Olympics in her 2020 budget.
• DeVos told the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday the Special Olympics is "awesome" but can do without federal funding as it's "well-supported by the philanthropic sector."
• The $17.6 million allocated by government to the event in 2017 accounted for a substantial 12% of funding, with donations making up the rest of the $124 million raised.
• It's the third budget in a row the Trump administration has proposed scrapping funding for the Special Olympics.
• Ultimately, the decision on government funding is made by Congress, so it is not guaranteed that the cuts will be approved.

The Trump administration submitted a plan to eliminate all funding for the Special Olympics on Tuesday, saying charity donations can make up the difference.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos's budget proposal for 2020 plans to deprive Special Olympic athletes, training facilities, and disabled children's programs of $17.6 million in federal funding if it's approved.

"The earmark for Special Olympics Education programs would be eliminated," the proposed budget said. All three Trump administration budgets since 2016 have attempted to cut Special Olympics funding.

DeVos's plan must be approved by Congress, so it is by no means guaranteed that the funding cuts will take place.

Getty

A medal ceremony at the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.

DeVos told the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday the Special Olympics was an "awesome organization" but did not need any government funding it is already "well-supported by the philanthropic sector."

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The Special Olympics gets 12% of its funding ($17.6 million in 2017) from the government, according to the organization's most recent financial report, with the remainder of the $124 million annual income coming from charity donations.

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File

Donald Trump and Betsy DeVos pose for photographs at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster in November, 2016.

Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee questioned DeVos at an education subcommittee hearing on Tuesday.

"The Department of Education's budget request is just another example of this administration's disregard for facts and disconnect from reality. With this budget request, I'm receiving President Trump's message loud and clear: fund the wall with money from our children's schools," she said.

In February 2018, DeVos said she would donate a quarter of her $199,700 salary to the Special Olympics, Department of Education spokeswoman Liz Hill told Politico.

DeVos's broader 2020 Education budget set out a 12% overall funding decrease across education, equating to $8.5 billion.

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A 14% increase ($60 million) in spending on charter schools is proposed, with several cuts planned to public school funding, including from programs for students with autism and blindness.

De Vos tweeted the proposed budget "puts the needs of students, parents, teachers, and local leaders first."