President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon held a Rose Garden event Monday to promote a federal school voucher initiative set to launch in early 2027, marking what they described as a major expansion of educational choice for American families.

The Education Freedom Tax Credit, signed into law by Trump in July 2025 as part of a broader spending and tax bill, allows taxpayers to receive up to $1,700 in federal tax credits for donations to organizations that provide scholarships to private and religious schools. At least 30 states have already enrolled in the program, McMahon noted, representing more than half the nation’s states.

Trump characterized the initiative as transformative. “One year ago, as part of the great, big, beautiful bill, we passed the Education Freedom Tax Credit – the largest ever expansion of school choice,” Trump told the Idaho Capital Sun. McMahon added that the program grants families “unprecedented freedom to choose the path that is best for their child.”

Republican governors Jim Pillen of Nebraska and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas joined the event, along with GOP Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan, who chairs the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

The voucher push comes as school choice remains a central priority for the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers. The program has drawn swift opposition from Democratic legislators. In April, Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii introduced a Senate bill to repeal the Education Freedom Tax Credit alongside nearly 30 colleagues. Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin introduced a companion measure in the House in June, backed by a broad coalition of Democratic co-sponsors including Reps. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Adelita Grijalva of Arizona, and Mark Pocan of Wisconsin.

The Democratic repeal effort faces steep odds in the GOP-controlled House and Senate, where Republicans hold commanding majorities and remain committed to advancing school choice policies.

School voucher programs have become increasingly popular among conservative policymakers as a mechanism to redirect public education dollars toward private alternatives and expand parental control over where children attend school. The federal tax credit approach differs from traditional voucher systems by using the tax code rather than direct appropriations to fund private school scholarships.