POTUS Undercuts DeVos, Keeps Special Olympics Funding

President Donald Trump has announced he intends to continue funding of the U.S. Special Olympics, countering a proposal by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

USA Today reports the president spoke with reporters on the subject Thursday before leaving for a trip to Michigan.

Secretary Devos has faced widespread criticism for her proposal to eliminate federal funding for the Special Olympics. Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) called it "cruel, misguided," and "outrageous." Mr. Kennedy's great aunt, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded the Special Olympics in 1968.

Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican from Missouri, shared Rep. Kennedy's view, saying no cuts would ever be made to the Special Olympics while he's on the Appropriations Subcommittee.

To be fair, Ms. DeVos has supporters. Libertarian writer Nick Gillespie notes the Special Olympics would not hurt for cash if it lost the federal money;

"According to its 2017 financials (the most-recent available on the web), the organization had total revenues of about $149 million, including $15.5 million in federal grants."

"The relevant question, of course, isn't whether the Special Olympics does good work, says Mr. Gillespie. "It's whether it should be funded by the federal government. The short answer is no, as this sort of activity, however uplifting, is not a core function of government."

In truth, it's extremely unlikely the Special Olympics will lose any government funding in the foreseeable future, if ever.

[Sources: USA Today, Reason]