Days after American athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities returned home from the Special Olympics World Games, they learned that their government is preparing to stop funding them.
The proposed 2020 budget from the U.S. Department of Education eliminates the entire $17.6-million budget for federal funding for Special Olympics programs.
This is the third year in a row the Trump administration has attempted to cut off all government funding for the Special Olympics.
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was grilled about the cuts Tuesday, while speaking to a congressional budget committee. She described the Special Olympics as an “awesome organization” that is “well supported by the philanthropic sector,” suggesting government funding for it is not necessary. Government grants made up a little more than 10 per cent of the organization’s funding in its 2017 fiscal year.
“We had to make some difficult decisions with this budget,” DeVos said.
Mark Pocan, a Democratic congressman from Wisconsin, took issue with the Special Olympics defunding as well as other cuts targeting blind students and special education.
“What is it that we have a problem with, with children who are in special education? Why are we cutting all of these programs?” he asked.
According to Politico, DeVos pledged to donate nearly $50,000 of her 2018 salary to the Special Olympics even as she was making an attempt to cut funding to the organization.
Congress has final say in whether the defunding will be approved.
