Education Secretary Linda McMahon is joining Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) in Miami to launch a national tour promoting school choice.
The “Our Children First” tour is set to begin on Friday. Owens and McMahon will give an on-air interview with the David Webb Show about why they believe the Educational Choice for Children Act will benefit students across the country.
Both McMahon and President Donald Trump are strong proponents of school choice.
“My vision is aligned with the President’s: To send education back to the states and empower all parents to choose an excellent education for their children,” McMahon said in a statement in March. “As a mother and grandmother, I know there is nobody more qualified than a parent to make educational decisions for their children.”
The ECCA, supported by Owens, would create $10 billion in tax credits to fund K-12 scholarships, which parents can use to decide where to send their children to receive education.
“For decades, a failed system put bureaucrats in charge, forced parents out of the decision-making process, and let ZIP codes determine the quality of a student’s education. Thanks to President Trump and Secretary McMahon, that era is over — and school choice in all 50 states is within reach,” Owens told the Washington Examiner.
“I’m proud to launch Our Children First in support of the most ambitious education freedom bill in Congress, and grateful for Secretary McMahon’s leadership in making sure every child, not just the lucky few, receives the education they deserve,” he added.
Following the joint interview, Owens and McMahon will visit Sports Leadership Arts Management Miami, one of the nation’s leading charter schools, for a tour and live broadcast featuring interviews conducted by students.
In a previous interview with the Washington Examiner, Owens shared he’s trying to influence Republican colleagues to include the ECCA in budget reconciliation.
“The other side believes that there should be a centralized process in which all the power should be in D.C., and bureaucrats should decide what has actually been happening in our districts,” Owens told the Washington Examiner. “That’s why reconciliation would be a very good way of going at it, because we can do it with a majority in the House and a majority in the Senate, and President Trump will definitely sign off.”
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While critics of school choice voucher programs have accused them of draining money from low-income schools, the scholarship money under the ECCA would come from funds created by tax credits.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Department of Education for comment.
