"The
Special Olympics is not a federal program. It's a private organization. I
love its work, and I have personally supported its mission. Because of
its important work, it is able to raise more than $100 million every
year," DeVos said in a statement.
"There are dozens of worthy
nonprofits that support students and adults with disabilities that don't
get a dime of federal grant money. But given our current budget
realities, the federal government cannot fund every worthy program,
particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations," she
added.
DeVos, one of the wealthier members of Trump's Cabinet, donated some of her salary last year to the group.
Her statement followed an outpouring of criticism over her proposal to
cut 12% from the department's budget -- the third year in a row she has
called for eliminating funding for Special Olympic events at schools.
Lawmakers have rejected DeVos' previous proposals, appropriating $17.6 million
for the Special Olympics last year. Her budget proposal has even a
smaller chance of passing Congress this year now that Democrats control
the House.
In a testy exchange
at a budget hearing Tuesday, Rep. Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat,
asked DeVos about how many students would be impacted by the cut.
"We had to make some difficult decisions in this budget. I don't know the number of kids," DeVos said.
"I'll answer it for you. It's OK, no problem. It's 272,000 kids," Pocan responded.
On
Wednesday, DeVos criticized the media and some members of Congress for
spinning the facts to claim her department doesn't support students with
disabilities.
"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 said.
The secretary pointed to the fact that
she's requesting $13.2 billion for grants to states under the
department's Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and another
$225.6 million for teacher preparation, research and technical
assistance to support children with disabilities. These requests would
maintain level funding for the department's core special education
programs, as CNN has reported.
Overall,
DeVos' proposed budget would eliminate 29 programs for an annual
savings of $6.7 billion. Some are duplicative, have achieved their
original purpose, are narrowly focused, or unable to demonstrate their
effectiveness, according to a department budget document.
At the hearing, DeVos acknowledged that Congress has rejected her previous requests to reduce her department's budget.
"I
also acknowledge that it's easier to keep spending, to keep saying yes,
and to keep saddling tomorrow's generations with today's growing
debts," she said.
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