Federal Voucher Program
The federal budget reconciliation bill signed into law on July 4, 2025, enacted an unprecedented federal voucher program designed to divert federal tax dollars that should be used to fund public goods, such as public education, to instead pay for private education expenses.
This scheme provides a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit up to $1,700 for taxpayer contributions to so-called Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) that pass out vouchers. States must annually opt in to the program to participate.
The federal voucher program is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to undermine public education. Research and data show that private school voucher programs harm students, schools, and states by diverting public funds away from the public schools that welcome all students to private entities that don’t produce better educational outcomes, have little accountability to the public, and often blatantly discriminate against children and families.
PFPS supports local, state, and national efforts to ensure that public funds are used to strengthen public schools. Below are PFPS resources explaining how the federal voucher program works; how it will inflict harm on students, public schools, and states; and why state leaders should Just Say No to this scheme.
For assistance with advocacy to keep public funds in public schools, contact PFPS.
Advocacy Resources
Debunking the Trump Administration's Claims about the Federal Voucher Program
This PFPS resource debunks six falsehoods in the Trump administration’s so-called “fact” sheet about the voucher program contained in the federal budget reconciliation bill passed last year. The fact sheet misrepresents the truth about vouchers by making false claims and distorting its potential impacts.
Just Say No to Federal Private Education Vouchers - Here's How (September 2025)
This two-page Advocacy Tool and Frequently Asked Questions guide provide information about the federal private education voucher program contained in the budget reconciliation bill passed by Congress in July 2025, including the harms of vouchers and the many reasons states must opt out of this voucher scheme in order to protect public education.
Webinars
All Risk No Reward for Public Ed: What's Ahead for the Federal Voucher Program (February 2026)
This webinar hosted by PFPS, the National Coalition for Public Education, and partner organizations features Representative Julie von Haefen, North Carolina House of Representatives (District 36); Damaris Allen, Executive Director, Families for Strong Public Schools; Sasha Pudelski, Director of Advocacy, AASA; and Jessica Levin, Education Law Center Litigation Director and Director of PFPS. Panelists provide the latest updates about the Trump-backed federal voucher law enacted in 2025, and share resources for advocacy encouraging states not to opt in to the harmful program. The webinar slide deck is available here.
Federal Vouchers, Funding Cuts, Firings: What You Need to Know About the Impact on Public Schools (October 2025)
This PFPS webinar features Kevin Welner, Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado Boulder and Director of the National Education Policy Center; Bethany Little, Managing Principal at EducationCounsel; and Tamerlin Godley, Esq., Co-Founder of PFPS. Panelists discuss the implications for American public schools of the Trump Administration's harmful executive orders, the gutting of the U.S. Department of Education, and the first ever federal school voucher program. They also provide resources and advice for advocates at the state and federal levels working to defend public education.
Legislative Tracking and Analysis
Voucher Bill Tracker:
This interactive tool tracks state and federal bills that create, expand, scale back, or otherwise modify private school voucher programs. We’ve updated the bill tracker to include legislation related to the federal voucher program, such as requirements for states to opt in or out of the program. Users can search for all bills in a specific state legislature or in the U.S. Congress, as well as searching by bill number, key word, or PFPS-assigned categories. PFPS writes summaries for bills that advance furthest in the legislative process. View a short demonstration of the bill tracker here.