Contact: Speaker’s Press Office,

202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the House of Representatives filed an amicus brief in the case of Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. v. Betsy DeVos, opposing the Department of Education’s illegal attempt to divert CARES Act money from public schools to private schools:

“Across the country, families have great angst about the health and well-being of their children, as students are going back to school and the coronavirus continues to rage.  In the spring, the House Democrats secured billions to save public education in the CARES Act, which we expanded through the Heroes Act – but since then, the need has only grown, due to the Trump Administration’s failed response to the virus.

“Yet, instead of fighting to ensure that our teachers, schools and students have the needed resources to stay safe, Secretary DeVos has waged a cruel campaign to steal the funds that Congress allocated.  As the House amicus brief makes clear, Secretary DeVos’s assault on public schools is a blatant violation of the law, as has been repeatedly found by the Courts.  The Secretary’s actions are also a profound moral failing: undermining the education, health and well-being of our most vulnerable students at a critical moment.

“The House of Representatives will continue to fight in the Courts and in Congress to oppose the Trump Administration’s attempts to override Congress’s authority to appropriate federal funding.  Democrats will never stop working to keep our children and their families healthy and ensure they can continue learning safely now and throughout this pandemic.”

# # #