Congressman's statement on Trump's Special Olympics 180: 'Can someone pull Betsy from under the bus?
They got caught being soulless ghouls again, and unwilling to withstand another news cycle in which they’re painted (quite accurately) as insensitive toward some of our country’s most vulnerable children, Don and Betsy reversed course, withdrawing their proposal to cut nearly $18 million in funding for Special Olympics. (I mean, seriously. Trump spends more than that on Hot Pockets.)
Except Trump made it look like the decision to shiv the program was all DeVos’ idea.
“The Special Olympics will be funded,” Trump told reporters. “I just told my people, I want to fund the Special Olympics. . . . I’ve been to the Special Olympics — I think it’s incredible, and I just authorized a funding.”
He suggested he had first heard about the budget controversy Thursday morning and that others in his administration were responsible for it, although the cut has been part of all three budgets he has proposed to Congress.
“I have overridden my people,” he said.
Oh, have you? What made you decide this? Was it a persistent tingling in your bone spurs, Braveheart?
For her part, DeVos did her best to look as not-stupid as possible under the circumstances:
Of course, somehow Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocan noticed that Trump was simply doing what Trumps do: completely effing over yet another person who’d placed her trust in him.
His statement on the needless Trump administration cruelty du jour:
“I’m extremely glad that the American people have convinced President Trump to do the right thing with Special Olympics. However, it shouldn’t take public outcry and shaming to restore funding to one of our nation’s most important special education programs.
“For the last three years, President Trump and Secretary DeVos have eliminated Special Olympics funding in the Department of Education’s budget request. This was not a one-off mistake where President Trump is making a correction or having a change in heart. Rather, President Trump and Secretary DeVos could not take one more day of a bad news cycle and the public shaming on their cruel and outrageous cut to Special Olympics. Congress was already planning to ignore the Administration’s disgraceful budget request, so this is only an attempt to save face. Further, the President doesn’t have the authority to authorize spending.
“President Trump’s budget is filled with misguided and dangerous cuts that will cause serious and lasting pain to the most vulnerable Americans. I’m hopeful that now President Trump has reversed course on Special Olympics, we can have a conversation regarding Social Security, Medicaid, the National Institutes of Health, and so much more.
“And by the way, can someone pull Betsy from under the bus?”
Youch.
Apropos of nothing, has Trump given Pocan a nickname yet?
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