Trump education official says school choice program will put pressure on Dem-led states
Democratic governors who have traditionally opposed school choice initiatives will face mounting competitive pressure to join President Donald Trump's landmark Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC) program as states weigh whether to participate and New York Gov.Kathy Hochul moves to formally opt in, a top Department of Education official told Fox News Digital."I think that pressure is real and is going to encourage all 50 states to ultimately opt in," said Lindsey Burke, deputy chief of staff for policy and programs at the U.S.
Department of Education.Burke's comments follow the Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issuing proposed regulations Oct.1 to implement the new federal program, paving the way for America's first nationwide school choice framework.NEW YORK JOINS FEDERAL SCHOOL CHOICE INITIATIVE DESPITE TRADITIONAL DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITIONThe Department of Education's deputy chief of staff told Fox News Digital that Democratic governors whose party has typically opposed school choice programs could face pressure to opt into President Donald Trump's Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program as New York looks to formally join.
(Getty Images)The initiative — also referred to as the Education Freedom Tax Credit — allows individual taxpayers to receive up to a $1,700 dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit for donations made to non-profit scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs).However, state governors must formally opt into the program for their residents and local educational organizations to participate and receive the funds.The IRS recently reported that more than half of U.S.
states have already signed up to participate.Burke noted that "competitive pressure" will ultimately force blue states to capture the influx of private donations."If you're in California, for example… a donor will be able to donate to scholarship-granting organizations outside of California, and they will get their tax credit as a result of that," Burke said.
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