Public service by america asking Television Companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. Education secretary duncan to testify this past week on President Trumps 2018 budget request which includes spending cuts for Public School programs and a proposal that encourages state and local districts to introduce policies for parents. The subcommittee hearing is just under two and a half hours. The appropriations subcommittee on labor, health, and Human Services will come to order. Morning to everybody, particularly good morning secretary devos and thank you for appearing before the this is a difficult budget request to defend. Just over one month ago, the Congress Overwhelmingly passed and resident signed into law a bill that included 161 billion in discretionary funding for this subcommittee. While that was a billion dollars less than we had the year before , we were able to eliminate in a way that allows things to do things like returned to yearround hell for the first time in nine years where for the first time, students this fall will have the opportunity to have the pell grant. This year, the fiscal year 2018 , it proposes a significant funding decrease, approximately 24 billion below what we are spending in the current year in the agencies reflected in the work of this subcommittee. Just past the end of april. For the department of education, the proposal includes approximately 59 billion, a nine point 2 billion reduction. You not only get to start with a new look at the department of education, but a new look at what we should be doing. We are glad you are here to talk about that. I think it is likely the kinds of cuts proposed in this budget will not occur, so we need to fully understand your priorities and why they are your priorities. The committee will continue to have priorities. I think significant reductions technicals like clear education, treo and federal work study will make it harder for students to get into and complete college and go into wellpaying jobs. The outright elimination of large Grant Programs like the 21st Century Community learning centers will be all but impossible to get those kinds of cuts through this committee. But you were given this budget and i know you had some input, but your input would have been late. In view of these issues, as you get a chance to run the department every day, will bring the ability to bring new and more information to the committee. Over the last two years, the subcommittees increased funding for Charter Schools from 253 million to 342 million. Im interested to learn more about your broader proposals for more choice in school. And finally, i think many of the members on this committee look forward to realigning the department of educations role in the Education System generally. And i believe the Education System should be made closer to students and families and local School Districts. Often, i think the state capital in my state or other states are too far away from these decisions to be made and certainly washington, d. C. Would be an even bigger challenge to make decisions that affect students and their families and their education all over the country. We look forward to hearing your testimony today. Im sure we will have a lively discussion. And i will turn to senator murray. Senator murray i want to recognize chairman cochran and vice chairman leahy. Secretary devos as you know i was very clear during your confirmation process that i had serious concerns with your extreme i had logical commitment to privatizing our Public Schools. Your extensive financial conflicts of interest and lack of understanding in the role of the federal government in protecting rights. Millions of parents and teachers stood up, they rallied and sent he letters and called their senators, so much that the senate switch board was overwhelmed and made it clear that they opposed your vision to our students in our schools and strongly supported Public Education in america. When it came to a vote, every democrat voted no. And joined by two republican members who are long time members of this committee who cited their constituents concerns and the Vice President had to break a tie on a cabinet nomination for the first time in our nations history. I was hoping you would enter your role as secretary with an understanding that your extreme antiPublic School agenda and the federal government playing a role just didnt have the support of congress or people across the country. And i was hoping that instead of trying to jam it through any way, you would work with us and join us at the table and share information and be a true partner in implementing our nations education laws, investing in our students, our teachers and our schools and helping all of our students succeed. But secretary devos, i and many others are extremely disappointed with what we have seen the past few months. You have not backed away from your unpopular and unsupported agenda and not made any attempt to work with us in good faith. You continue to allow potential conflicts of interests and ethical issues to exist in your department and you refuse to answer basic questions that democrats asked you. You backed away from commitments and this budget from President Trump today which you are here to defend which is attacked by republicans and democrats and people across the country is the latest example. So there are many issues people want answers to, from the people that you hired, including your senior counselor who came straight from a forProfit College under multiple investigations and who you have charged with overseeing regulations directly impacting his former employer, to the policies you have implemented or changed including rescinding guidance protecting transgender students after telling us in your hearing you believed all students should feel safe and free of discrimination. Eliminating protections for student loan borrowers. But im going to ask you about your Budget Proposals, because they truly highlight the ways and policies and priorities you and President Trump are pushing would hurt students, would hurt our communities and represent a clear broken promise to workers and the middle class. First of all, your antiPublic Education plans. A year andahalf ago Congress Overwhelmingly passed the every student succeed act to fix the broken no child left behind law. To provide flexibility for our School Districts while maintaining strong federal guardrails to make sure students didnt fall through the cracks no matter where they lived or how much money their parents made. Instead of working with us to implement this bipartisan law your Budget Proposal will continue the work you have already started to undercut it dramatically. Instead of common ground, your budget proposes policies similar to those that were roundly rejected on both sides of the aisle during our active debate like privatization and portability. After republicans spent years lamb bassing the department of education for using federal dollars as a tool for motivating states and after you promised not to do this in your confirmation hearing when you were asked about it by senator cassidy, this budget does exactly that. It takes hundreds of millions of dollars from lowincome School Districts and holding it hostage unless states agree to your extreme ideological agenda. I want further clarity on your confusing statements regarding whether or not your privatization plans for the e. I. R. Program students could use their federal civil rights protections and im going to ask you to explain the massive cuts that you propose across the board impacting students of all ages. The budget would cut investments in our students and schools by 39. 2 billion, a 13 from where we are today. I could list them all but 3 billion in cuts authorized again with one of the few increases directed towards Holding States hostage. Among these cuts are 2. 1 billion for state grants and entire Program Eliminated that provides support and professional development for our teachers and school leaders. 1. 2 billion from 21 Century Community learning centers, completely eliminating investments before and afterSchool Programs and extending opportunities for two Million Students. 190 million completely eliminating the striving readers comprehensive Development Investments which im passionate and worked with republicans to strengthen. 400 million in Student Support and academic enrichment grants to improve students safety and wellrounded education. And its not just k12 that is under attack. This proposal would make Higher Education less affordable by taking 3. 39 billion from the Pell Grant Program and freezing the maximum award, eliminating the supplemental education opportunity Grant Program which provides a billion dollars in federal and institutional funds to 1 1. 6 million lowincome graduates, cutting federal work study in half, increasing student debt by making many students pay more interest, pay back longer and eliminating Public Service loan forgiveness and cuts investments for students with disabilities and 113 million to special education grants to our states pushing more costs to our states and local communities. 27. 5 million for state grants which help people with the most significant disabilities, achieve employment and investment by the way, that we included in our bipartisan bill and is not being done through any other program. And finally, this budget even eliminates all support for Special Olympics programs in our schools. I will be asking about a lot of these. I know many of my colleagues will. But this budget would be devastating for our students and take away opportunities for so many families in this country. I hope from hearing from a lot of parents and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, you would reconsider this approach and come back to us with a budget that reflects our values and priorities as a country. Senator blunt we are pleased to do you have any statement you would like to make . Im concerned about our challenge that we have to deal with. The reality of the budget process that hands us a budget resolution in terms of authorization to appropriate funds. We have children ready to be educated throughout our state and everybodys state. And we need to train teachers and support the training of teachers. And so there are federal programs that are legitimate and needed to be on the front burner for the support and strengthening of our federal programs that help us teach our children. I guess i come at this from a biased point of view. I have a grandmother who was a teacher and Wonderful School teacher in mississippi. My father was a county superintendent what was then the largest Public School district in the mississippi. My brother was a math teacher. Me and my brother tagging along my father was a county superintendent what was then the with our father for graduate work. And we get into classrooms and act like we were students thinking we were just as smart of some of his students were. But the whole point is, we all have so much invested through our families, through our organizations back in our home state. So weve got our work cut out for us. And i plan my best efforts to squeeze this through the area that we can and make improvements in and take a hard look, but at the same time realize we need to get a bill. Senator blunt senator leahy. Senator leahy thank you, chairman blunt and Ranking Member murray. And i agree with chairman cochran that we have a difficult task ahead of us, but i know that i point out to all the Ranking Members and my role as vice chairman, what senator cochran and i are doing, every cabinet member is going to have a chance to testify before the appropriations committee. So i appreciate this opportunity. I feel very unfortunate the president s proposed budget displays a fundamental lack of you can of the role of government of, for and by the people. Lifting up the most vulnerable amongst us and serving our values as a nation. And sequestration had devastating consequences in defense and nondefense consequences which are going to lat a generation or moment. The trump budget deepens those. It can be summed very quickly, abysmal. The submission from the department of education would reduce federal education by more than 15 . The budget proposed approximately 4 billion in cuts to investments in programs to support Public Schools. Recently reauthorized by the bipartisan, bipartisan every Student Succeeds act while proposing 1. 4 billion in new discretionary funding for the agenda and policies that promote vouchers in School Choice. That is an insult to schoolaged children across the country. President trump has said it is a civil rights issue of our time. And i agree education can and should be a great equalizer, but federal investment is intended to support all students not just a few privileged ones. And intended to close achievement gaps that many disadvantaged students face upon entry in school. This budget turns its back on hardworking families and proposed to cut half a billion dollars from the vast majority of School Districts that do not fall in the choice proposals. Well, secretary devos, you ought to come to a rural area like vermont where schools may be an hour or more away from where people live. School choice is not under any circumstances an option. Especially in the winter where we may have had 10 inches of snow overnight. Holding School Choice hostage like this, its going to leave the most vulnerable students and School Districts behind. It also reduced funding for many programs which states and school rely, specifically that support Public Education. The preschool development grants, after School Programs. Senator murray mentioned Special Olympics education program. Programs to train principals and other school leaders. Among many others. It cuts aid to students struggling to pay for college by rescinding nearly 4 billion from pell grants. Eliminating or reducing support for many other student aid programs. The best way to create a foundation for greatness as the trump budget purports to do is to continue to invest in americas future so our schools and our children. As vice chairman of this committee ill work to put that in. I look forward to working with other members of the committee on both sides of the aisle as we have in the past. I want to fulfill that goal. If youre not going to fulfill the goal of america, making America Great by cutting out opportunity for our children and for our schools. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, senator leahy. I want to welcome secretary devos today. This is her first time to testify before this subcommittee. Secretary devos has been involved in education policy and advocacy for nearly three decades, where she worked to empower parents and create new educational choices for students and families across the country. Madam secretary, im glad youre here, i look forward to hearing your testimony. Ms. Devos thank you. Chairman cochran, Ranking Member leahy, chairman blunt, Ranking Member murray and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on the administrations fiscal year 2018 Budget Proposal. I look forward to talk about how we can Work Together to improve Educational Opportunities and outcomes for all students while also refocusing the federal role in education. Todays hearing is meant to focus on the numbers and mechanics of the budget but i hope well all remember our goal and shared purpose how to best serb americas students. During my House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, i relayed the story of one of those students a young man named michael who grew up in East Hartford, connecticut. Michael in his own words described to me what life was like for him in high school. I quoted him last month and i will quote him again because his words are worth repeating he said his assigned high school was, and i quote, nothing more than adult day care. A dangerous day care. And even though michael was failing his classes, his School Graduated him anyway he got a diploma but not an education. Since sharing michaels story this is young man has been barraged by attack. But he has tremendous courage and instead of being intimidated he wrote an oped published this sundays Hartford Courant where he admonished, rather than getting into a defensive crouch at perceived slight, lets admit serious and perceived problems exist and theres a lot of work to do. Lets give kids and families who feel trapped the opportuni