On Tuesday, Trump Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos confirmed that under Donald Trump's new proposed budget her department would be making substantial cuts to programs aimed at helping children with autism and developmental disabilities, including eliminating education funding for the Special Olympics outright. Overall, her budget would be slashed 12 percent, even as executive salaries within the department are boosted 15.6 percent.
As per usual with anyone and anything in the Trump administration, DeVos has now issued a blustering statement condemning Congress and the media for pointing this out. Mind you, she's not disputing that her budget eliminates $17.6 million in funding for the Special Olympics. She just wants you to know that those kids have it pretty good and can take this one for the team.
"It is unacceptable, shameful and counterproductive that some members of Congress have spun up falsehoods and fully misrepresented the facts. [...]
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. 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."
That's not a denial that federal funding will be eliminated, and there doesn't seem to be any bit of it that was "misrepresented."
It's a neat trick to cite "our current budget realities" as reason why the Special Olympics will need to tighten its purse and make do without federal funding. The current "budget realities," of course, are massive and intractable budget deficits caused by the new Republican tax cuts for the wealthy. Since corporations are now getting even more advantageous tax breaks on their corporate jets, the Special Olympics kids will just have to take up the slack.
What an amazing group these people are. It's one thing to systemically chip away at every bit of good our nation might do for the poor and the disadvantaged and anyone not-rich; it's another to pipe up with puffing indignity when anyone points out you're doing it. Republicans seem to have found the most self-absorbed, self-entitled group of wealthy nitwits in the nation—and elevated every one of them to a cabinet post.