The first announcement came as a shock.
Many were up in arms on Wednesday when the Education Secretary in the US, Betsy DeVos, announced the government’s intention to remove funding from the Special Olympics.
In the previous US budget, the the federal government had provided $18 billion for the Special Olympics.
After a huge backlash to the proposed cut, President Donald Trump today told reporters that “The Special Olympics will be funded.”
“I just authorised the funding of the Special Olympics,” Trump said. “I heard about it this morning … and I have overridden my people.”
In typical Trump fashion, he has not explained what is meant by this authorisation, but changes will presumably now be made to the Department of Education’s budget proposal — which will then have to pass through Congress.
DeVos herself has backed the President up, performing a total 180 on the position she extolled yesterday, saying “”I am pleased and grateful the president and I see eye-to-eye on this issue, and that he has decided to fund our Special Olympics grant. This is funding I have fought for behind-the-scenes over the last several years.”
Yesterday, she had said removing funding for the Special Olympics was a “tough choice,” and that she hoped it would “encourage more private donations” to the cause.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
