Republican Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for withholding federal funds for schools that oppose transgender students in girls sports, resulting in free school lunches being held hostage. Vance expressed his disagreement with allowing biological males to compete in sports with biological females, emphasizing the importance of not taking food away from poor children based on their failure to comply with the desires of the Biden-Harris administration. The issue stems from a May 2022 memorandum from the US Department of Agriculture instructing program operators to handle complaints of discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation as complaints of discrimination on the basis of sex.
During a town hall discussion at Harrisburg’s Rock Church with Senior Pastor Joshua C. Robertson, Vance highlighted the importance of school choice and its impact on improving America’s failing urban public education districts. Coming from a poor background in Appalachia himself, Vance praised private vouchers as a way to provide parents and grandparents with more options for their children’s education, which encourages public schools to improve their standards to compete with alternatives. He also emphasized the role of education in upward mobility, citing statistics that individuals without a bachelor’s degree are more likely to die seven years earlier than those with higher education.
Robertson, who advocates for school choice as a civil rights issue, focused the conversation on policies related to school choice during the town hall event. Vance shared personal anecdotes about his upbringing and education, emphasizing the positive impact of giving parents more control over their children’s schooling. By breaking the monopoly of public schools and fostering healthy competition, Vance believes that the overall quality of education will improve, benefiting students across various educational settings. He also underscored the broader implications of educational attainment, noting the significant disparity in life expectancy between individuals with and without bachelor’s degrees.
Vance’s remarks about the intersection of education, school choice, and public policy reflect his commitment to addressing systemic issues within the education system. By advocating for greater access to educational opportunities, particularly for disadvantaged communities, Vance aims to empower families to make informed decisions about their children’s schooling. Through his advocacy for private vouchers and increased competition in the education sector, Vance seeks to create a more equitable and effective educational landscape that prioritizes the needs and aspirations of students. His support for educational reforms aligns with his belief in the transformative power of education as a pathway to social mobility and improved life outcomes for individuals and communities.
