Pres. Trump praises Texas for 'ultimate school choice' bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Donald Trump praised Texas leaders for passing school choice legislation during a National Day of Prayer event on Thursday.

Pres. Trump on Texas School Choice

What they're saying:

President Trump made the comments about Texas Senate Bill 2 while introducing Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at the event.

Trump talked about working with Texas Governor Greg Abbott to pass the bill, which the governor is expected to sign into law on Saturday.

The president spoke with members of the Texas House by phone ahead of a critical vote.

"We knocked it over the fences," Pres. Trump said. "That's the ultimate school choice in Texas."

More than 30 states have some form of school choice bill, but Texas' will be the largest.

The president went on to praise Patrick for his years-long fight to pass the bill.

The lieutenant governor was attending the event because Trump appointed him to the newly-created Presidential Religious Liberty Commission.

Texas School Choice

The backstory:

The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2 by a party-line 19-12 vote on April 24, despite a last-ditch effort to derail, or at least delay, the bill's final passage.

The House approved the bill 86-63 a week prior.

Dig deeper:

Senate Bill 2 would create a program to establish education savings accounts that allow parents to use public funds to pay for private school tuition and other expenses.

In its first year, the program would be capped at $1 billion and used by up to 90,000 students, but it could grow to nearly $4.5 billion per year by 2030. The money can be used for private school tuition, as well as costs for home-schooling and virtual learning programs. Families could get up to $10,000 each year per student under the program, and a student with disabilities would be eligible for as much as $30,000 per year.

Gov. Abbott listed school choice as one of his top priorities for lawmakers after it failed in four special sessions in 2023.

Abbott campaigned against Republicans who voted against education savings accounts in the 2024 primaries.

Proponents say the legislation gives parents options about where to send their children. They argue the competition would force public schools to improve.

Opponents say the education savings accounts will take money away from public schools and will not help low-income students. Some have called it "welfare for the wealthy," saying the money will be used by those who are already sending their children to private schools.