FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1,  2020
Contact: Allyson Sanders
allyson@lademo.org

Ahead of DeVos Event, Louisiana Democrats Slam Trump’s Broken Promises

BATON ROUGE, LA – Ahead of Betsy DeVos’ virtual event in New Orleans today, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, Chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party released the following statement:

“Betsy DeVos can’t spin her boss’ three and a half years of broken promises. Instead of getting emergency resources to schools that need it, Trump and DeVos are using this crisis to push a failed, anti-education agenda. We deserve a president who will stand up for Louisiana’s students — not fill the pockets of a few well-connected interests.”

BACKGROUND ON TRUMP AND DEVOS’ BROKEN PROMISES TO LOUISIANA

Promise: “We’ll fight for our great schools and we want to make them incredible. We want to make our schools really good.”  [Trump Campaign Rally, Baton Rouge LA,  12/9/2016]

Reality: After Congress passed emergency education funding to help public schools adjust to the pandemic, Betsy DeVos failed to quickly distribute the relief to schools that needed it. Instead, she withheld hundreds of millions of dollars from public school districts and funneled the relief to private companies.

Reality: Despite rising death tolls and record unemployment, DeVos has described the coronavirus pandemic as an “opportunity” to promote her disastrous agenda.

Reality: The Trump administration has failed to equip public schools to deal with the pandemic. Asked about the need for high-speed internet access, DeVos said distance learning can happen “in the woods behind your house.”

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