Senator Bernie Sanders, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), has released a report that criticizes the Trump administration’s approach to school privatization. The report argues that the federal school voucher program established under President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” could negatively affect public education and harm students from working-class backgrounds, those with disabilities, and students from various religious communities.
According to the report, the new voucher program is projected to cost up to $51 billion annually. This amount surpasses current federal spending on both Title I—which supports low-income students—and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
“President Trump and his billionaire campaign contributors have been working overtime to create a two-tier education system in America: private schools for the wealthy and well-connected and severely under-funded public schools for low-income and working-class students. That is unacceptable,” said Sanders. “This report makes clear that vouchers are being used to benefit private schools that reject students because they have a disability or because of their religion and benefit some of the wealthiest families in America. Trump’s voucher program will only make a bad situation even worse.”
The analysis reviews data from 11 states, examining 111 organizations that administer school vouchers—known as scholarship granting organizations—and more than 1,600 affiliated private schools.
Key findings include:
- School vouchers cover an average of only 39% of middle school private tuition in sampled states. As a result, many working-class families cannot afford private education even with vouchers.
- Nearly half (48%) of analyzed private schools do not provide all services or protections required by IDEA for students with disabilities.
- About 17% of reviewed private schools charge different tuition rates based on family religious beliefs.
- Less than half of states require accreditation for private schools receiving vouchers; even fewer mandate student assessments or teacher credentials.
The release precedes an upcoming HELP Committee hearing where Marisol Garcia, President of the Arizona Education Association, will testify about her state’s experience with universal school vouchers. Arizona now spends nearly $1 billion each year on these programs while facing closures among its public schools.
