The Honorable Ted Cruz
United States Senate
127 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Bradley Byrne
United States House of Representatives
119 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Senator Cruz and Representative Byrne:
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union (NTU), the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, I write to express our support for your legislation, S. 634 & H.R. 1434, the “Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act.” Your important legislation would promote school choice in states across the country by creating a federal income tax credit for donations to organizations that grant scholarships to students. We are proud to support S. 634/H.R. 1434 and urge all members of Congress to co-sponsor this much-needed bill.
Education was once thought of as the great equalizer by giving everyone a similar start in life, but too often it becomes a contributor to inequality by failing those who start out near the bottom. Millions of parents in low-income communities feel trapped as they are forced by their public school district to send their children to failing public schools that do not provide the education and skills they deserve. Despite skyrocketing public education spending at the federal, state, and local levels, there is little evidence to show this mounting spending improves education outcomes. Undoubtedly, the current system fails to protect taxpayers, while at the same time it does far too little for lower-income and working-class students.
Your legislation follows the lead of eighteen states that have successfully used tax-credit scholarships to provide students the freedom to attend a school of their choice. If enacted, the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act could provide an estimated one million children the opportunity to attend a better school or one that is tailored to their specific needs. As President Trump rightly stated in his State of the Union Address, “Pass the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunities Act — because no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing government school.”
A competitive education market will improve education outcomes, lower costs, and better serve taxpayers. We are proud to support this legislation and look forward to working with you to ensure this important bill becomes law.
Sincerely,
Thomas Aiello
Policy and Government Affairs Associate