Democrat inserted provision endangers DC Opportunity Scholarship program
By: Susan Ferrechio
Chief Congressional Correspondent
February 23, 2009
House Republicans Tuesday decried a provision in the 2009 government spending bill that they say will effectively kill a popular D.C. school voucher program.
Democrats have inserted language into the $410 billion package that would end funding for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program after the 2009-2010 school year. The bill stipulates that subsequent spending on the program would require reauthorization of the program by Congress and "the adoption of language by the D.C. City Council approving such reauthorization."
The program supplies vouchers to about 1,900 low-income District families to send their children to private schools, with thousands more children on a waiting list to get vouchers. Congress enacted the program in 2004 to give parents an alternative to sending their children to the struggling public school system but it is unpopular with the D.C. teachers union.
Republicans argue that Democrats will not reauthorize the program after next year if it becomes a requirement and that the D.C. City Council might oppose it as well.
"This is a backdoor attempt to kill it," said a Republican leadership aide. "A large number of Democrats oppose it."
House Minority Leader John Boehner condemned the language and said eliminating the voucher program "would represent an irresponsible and shameful act on the part of the Democratic leadership in Congress."
House Democrats Monday denied making any attempt to sabotage the program and said Republicans are simply looking for something to complain about.
"There is no such thing as a permanent program," said Brendan Daly, a top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "Every program needs to be authorized or re-authorized."
