Politics - News Analysis
Betsy DeVos is Furious and Wants People to Leave Her Alone Over Defunding Special Olympics
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is denouncing what she described as “shameful” media coverage of “falsehoods” about the Department of Education’s proposed funding cuts to the Special Olympics.
“It is unacceptable, shameful and counterproductive that the media and some members of Congress have spun falsehoods and fully misrepresented the facts,” DeVos said in a statement.
“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 added.
DeVos issues statement on Special Olympics controversy. pic.twitter.com/kznGJnNpJ6
— Erica L. Green (@EricaLG) March 27, 2019
DeVos faced criticism after appearing before a House subcommittee on Tuesday and revealing that the department proposed cutting nearly $18 million in federal funding to the Special Olympics.
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“I think Special Olympics is an awesome organization, one that is well supported by the philanthropic sector as well,” DeVos said Tuesday.
DeVos reiterated that position in her statement Wednesday, saying that she has “personally supported” the Special Olympics but added that it raises more than $100 million every year in private donations.
She also said there are “dozens of worthy nonprofits” supporting students and adults with disabilities “that don’t get a dime of federal grant money.”
“Given our current budget realities, the federal government cannot fund every worthy program, particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations,” she added.
Let’s just say, no one is feeling very badly for DeVos:
Not surprised about the Special Olympics. Cruella DeVos stopped caring about children when she found out she couldn’t make coats out of them.
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) March 27, 2019
Betsy DeVos, on cutting funding to the Special Olympics:
"We had to make some difficult decisions."
The Special Olympics cost around $18 million, or about the same as five of Trump's golf trips to Mar-a-Lago.
It's not a difficult decision. It's an evil one.
— Nick Jack Pappas (@Pappiness) March 26, 2019
Trump’s weekly vacations to Mar-a-Lago cost a great deal more than the government funding for the Special Olympics that DeVos wants to cut. So Trump has taken money from families that benefit from the Special Olympics and spent it on his own lavish adventures in decadence.
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) March 27, 2019
Yes, Ditzy Devos was just kidding during those hearings and just because the president is cutting the funding doesn’t mean he doesn’t care very deeply about not looking like a monster. https://t.co/fauzkhlEAc
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) March 27, 2019
WH & Devos want to cut $18M from Special Olympics—harming 272,000 kids with special needs—but has spent $92M on golfing
$92M on Golfing????
272,000 kids w/special needs will suffer b/c 45 prefers spending 5x more on golf.
The Cruelty Is The Pointhttps://t.co/2NjL4poqxf
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) March 27, 2019
Remember when we had a President who cared about the disabled, and the Special Olympics were NEVER in danger of having funds cut by an evil beast like Betsy DeVos?
Come to think of it, I remember when we had a President who'd NEVER mock the disabled.
Seems like forever ago. https://t.co/Qu3Dssj5tB
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) March 27, 2019
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