Kelly, Grijalva Blast Trump Administration’s Push for National School Voucher Program

Kelly is leading legislation to repeal the federal voucher program and keep public dollars in public schools Today, Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ-07) criticized new Treasury Department regulations that advance a national school voucher program created under Trump’s big bill, warning that Arizona’s experience with universal school vouchers shows the harm done when taxpayer dollars are diverted to private schools without adequate oversight. The program provides a tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to eligible scholarship-granting organizations, including organizations supporting private and religious schools, which states have limited ability to regulate. The new regulations would also double the credit for married couples. In response, Kelly introduced the Keep Public Funds in Public Schools Act , which would repeal this voucher program. Grijalva, alongside Representatives Gwen Moore (WI-04), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), and Mark Pocan (WI-02) introduced the same legislation in the House. “Arizona is a clear example of the consequences of diverting taxpayer dollars to private school vouchers: fraud, benefits going to families who can already afford private school, and public schools losing funds they desperately need. Not to mention a giant hole blown in our budget,” said Sen. Kelly . “Now, the Trump administration wants to take that same approach nationwide. We should be investing in public schools that serve all kids, not expanding a voucher program that risks more waste and abuse.” “Arizona’s fraud-ridden school voucher program should serve as a warning to the rest of the country,” said Rep. Grijalva . “Instead, the Trump Administration is moving full steam ahead with a national voucher scheme while failing to include even basic safeguards to prevent taxpayer dollars from being wasted or abused. Congress must act to ensure taxpayer dollars strengthen the public schools that serve the overwhelming majority of America’s children, rather than subsidize privatization schemes rife with fraud.” Arizona’s universal Empowerment Scholarship Account program now costs taxpayers more than $1 billion annually and has faced repeated allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse. In one case, two out-of-state individuals pleaded guilty to creating dozens of fictitious “ghost students” and using forged documents to obtain more than $110,000 in taxpayer-funded voucher dollars. Other reporting has found voucher funds used for questionable purchases, including Disneyland trips , diamond rings, and lingerie .