- Vice President Mike Pence accused 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday of preventing black parents from obtaining the American dream by blocking them from picking where their kids go to school.
- His comments come as protests and riots continue over the death of George Floyd.
- “Biden says everybody ought to have a fair shot at the American dream,” Pence said. “We would say, ‘Well, why don’t you support allowing African-American families to choose where their kids go to school?'”
Vice President Mike Pence accused 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden on Tuesday of preventing black parents from obtaining the American dream by blocking them from picking where their kids go to school.
The vice president discussed Biden’s White House bid on “Fox and Friends,” noting the former vice president’s assertion that everyone should have a fair shot at success. His comments came as demonstrations nationwide continue over the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, video showed.
“Biden says everybody ought to have a fair shot at the American dream,” Pence said. “We would say, ‘Well, why don’t you support allowing African-American families to choose where their kids go to school?'” (RELATED: NH Dem Backtracks After Saying School Choice Only Works For The ‘Well Educated’)
WATCH:
Joe Biden claims he supports the American dream, but won’t allow African American families to choose their kid’s school. You shouldn’t be denied the ability to choose your school because of your zip code or income. pic.twitter.com/LQAuSmqmAD
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 16, 2020
President Donald Trump has “stood strong” for school choice, Pence said, noting that the Trump administration has doubled the educational choice program in Washington, D.C. (RELATED: SCOTUS Rules Federal Employment Discrimination Laws Protect LGBT, Trans Employees)
“We really do believe that you shouldn’t be denied the ability to choose where your kids go to school just because of your zip code or because of your income,” he added. “We also, as you said, under this president’s policy, we had the lowest unemployment level ever recorded for African-Americans.”
Biden’s “Plan for Education” states that he will “ensure that no child’s future is determined by their zip code, parents’ income, race, or disability” by tripling the funding that goes to schools “serving a high number of children from low-income families,” improving teacher diversity, and building “innovative” schools in low-income communities.
When we divert public funds to private schools, we undermine the entire public education system. We’ve got to prioritize investing in our public schools, so every kid in America gets a fair shot. That’s why I oppose vouchers. #Espinoza
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) January 23, 2020
Pence said that he and Trump understand the negativity and media narrative “around this time,” but that millions of black individuals have seen the progress the Trump administration has made over the past three years.
“They know as we bring this economy back in the wake of not just these tragic events and the violence that ensued, but in the wake of course of this coronavirus pandemic, that its president, Donald Trump, has the prescription for more prosperity, more educational opportunity, and really, more access to the American dream than 50 years of Democratic leadership under the likes of Joe Biden has ever given them,” Pence said.
Department of Education spokeswoman Angela Morabito told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement that it is “undeniable that too many students, especially students of color and students from low-income families, are being failed by a one-size-fits-all education system that assigns children to schools based on their zip code and family income.”
“Secretary DeVos is grateful to work alongside the President and Vice President to solve this problem by expanding school choice to all families,” Morabito told the DCNF. “The Administration’s Education Freedom Scholarships proposal would give scholarships to more than one million students in need.”
“It’s time for Congress to come together and do what’s best for students,” she added. “It’s hypocritical for politicians who chose where they sent their kids to school to deny that same opportunity to families across America.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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