The FFRF Action Fund is warning that the newly introduced congressional so-called Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA) is a radically destructive expansion of school vouchers — creating a massive federal tax shelter while funneling taxpayer dollars into religious indoctrination.
The proposal, if passed, would create the first national private school voucher program — something President Trump vowed to do and is part of Project 2025’s recommendations. The insidious bill would erode the separation between state and church and also provide an unprecedented tax loophole for the megarich like former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, allowing them to erase their tax liability completely — at the expense of our secular public schools. There is a high probability that the GOP-controlled Congress will either advance the bill or incorporate it into the upcoming tax reconciliation omnibus bill within the next few weeks.
Public education would be eroded
The preponderance of private schools are sectarian, and 90 percent of children attend public schools. Providing incentive to financially reward the removal of children from public to private schools (or home-schooling) would erode support and funding for public schools. The National Coalition for Public Education notes that public schools are frequently the largest employer in the community, meaning erosion of public school funding affects not just parents and students, but also local economies as a whole. The bill would siphon taxpayer dollars to private (mainly religious) education, essentially creating a second publicly subsidized system of education. Clearly, the United States cannot afford to sustain support for two systems of education.
The Educational Choice for Children Act would not require schools or service providers receiving federal taxpayer funds to be accredited or otherwise follow the standards required of public schools, curricula and teachers. Nor would private school recipients be required to report to state or federal bodies, such as reporting student performance. The National Coalition for Public Education reports that in states instituting similar programs, parents have used the funds to purchase pizza ovens, expresso machines, big screen TVs, foosball tables, paddleboards, golf equipment, Amazon gift cards and even tickets to Disney World and SeaWorld.
A billionaire’s dream tax scheme
The Educational Choice for Children Act is a new iteration of voucher schemes to benefit religious schools; a federal tax giveaway disguised as “school choice.” The bill creates a 100 percent dollar-for-dollar tax credit for contributions to private school scholarship programs, meaning that ultrawealthy individuals and corporations could wipe out their entire federal tax bill by donating to private religious scholarships.
The Educational Choice for Children Act is not a tax deduction, whereby a donor reduces their taxable income — it’s a direct tax credit that offsets what they owe to the government. Under this scheme, someone like DeVos, who has long championed religious school funding, could potentially zero out her tax liability and potentially make a profit, all the while using taxpayer money to fund religious schools that discriminate in admissions, curriculum and hiring. This would be a blatantly unfair exploitation of the tax system, making the wealthy richer at the expense of public services and education.
Draining funds from other charities
The proposal wouldn’t create new money for education — it would simply shift charitable giving away from other nonprofits. Donors who currently support a variety of nonprofits — everything from veterans’ groups and hospitals to food banks — would now have a substantial financial incentive to redirect donations to religious school scholarships instead. That would mean fewer donations to community organizations and more money for religious school scholarships.
A blatant church-state violation
The Educational Choice for Children Act would be an unprecedented federal handout to religious institutions. By granting tax credits that overwhelmingly fund religious schools, the government would essentially be forcing taxpayers to subsidize religious education. The U.S. Supreme Court has already chipped away at state restrictions on taxpayer funding for religious schools but this bill would nationalize that injustice and make taxpayers complicit in funding religious indoctrination.
Public opposes voucher programs
In state ballot initiative after initiative, the public strongly opposes vouchers for private, religious schools. Last year, voters in Colorado, Kentucky and Nebraska rejected voucher measures, as the public in other states has done in 14 other ballot measures.
Congress must reject this federal tax scam
This proposal is not about helping children — it’s about helping the wealthy avoid taxes while funding religious schools. Congress must reject this radical giveaway and uphold the fundamental principle that taxpayer money should not be used to promote religion.
The FFRF Action Fund calls on lawmakers to stand up for public education, tax fairness and the separation of state and church by rejecting the Educational Choice for Children Act and its various iterations in other bills.
Voucher schemes are ripe for fraud and abuse, because they’re designed to generate profits for wealthy bureaucrats rather than to help students. Private schools are, by definition, less accountable than public schools, creating risks for corruption and malfeasance. As just one example, the New York Times revealed how Steve Yarbrough, as president of the Arizona Senate, both promoted and personally profited off the state’s voucher program. Yarbrough reportedly pushed for a system where his own “tuition organization” was allowed to keep 10 percent of its donations to pay for overhead. The same organization paid millions of dollars to a private company owned by Yarbrough, paid Yarbrough rent and bought Yarbrough a car. Where public funds go, public accountability must follow.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.