School Choice Measure Advancing in Congress Could Help Parents Pay for Faith-Based Education

Republicans in Congress are taking steps to advance President Trump’s goal of establishing “universal school choice.” 

In the House of Representatives, lawmakers are aiming to allocate up to $5 billion a year for scholarships to help families send their children to private schools, including faith-based ones. Most American households would qualify, as long as their income is less than three times the local median income.

On the Senate side, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has been promoting school choice legislation called the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA). On Tuesday, Cassidy celebrated because the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee moved to include his initiative in a broader tax bill that would also include Trump’s tax cuts.

“For years, I’ve advocated for school choice with my Educational Choice for Children Act. I am pleased to see it included in the big, beautiful bill,” said Dr. Cassidy. “Expanding President Trump’s tax cuts is about preserving the American Dream. Giving parents the ability to choose the best education for their child makes the dream possible.”

If a child is stuck in a failing school, a mother should be able to move her child to a better one.

That’s what my school choice bill does—and it’s in the House tax plan.

A better educated American people is a better America. pic.twitter.com/tm51kiEiCT

— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) May 14, 2025

The ECCA, introduced earlier this year in the Senate by Cassidy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), offers federal tax incentives to individuals and businesses that donate to scholarship-granting organizations. 

Donors who contribute money or stock to scholarship funds could receive a full tax credit in return. The scholarships would then help students cover a range of K–12 education expenses in both public and private schools.

After the parental choice measure was officially included in the House tax bill, Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) wrote on X, “This is just a starting point for ECCA, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to empower parents and students as this legislation moves forward.”

This morning, I joined @RepStefanik, @RepBurgessOwens, and @Jim_Jordan for a press conference after my bill to support parental choice, the Educational Choice for Children Act, was included in the @WaysandMeansGOP reconciliation package. This is just a starting point for ECCA,… pic.twitter.com/QP5T6SAene

— Rep. Adrian Smith (@RepAdrianSmith) May 14, 2025

Supporters argue that the measure would give low-income and middle-class families greater access to alternatives beyond the public education system. 

Critics complain that the bill benefits higher-income donors who could get tax credits. And they say the initiative could siphon resources from public schools. “This is a significant threat,” claimed Sasha Pudelski of AASA, the School Superintendents Association. 

Similar school choice measures are advancing at the state level, too. For example, Texas recently approved a school choice bill with a $1 billion voucher program.

Meanwhile, as the broader tax and school choice bill advances through Congress, the battle lines are clear: proponents argue it empowers families and expands opportunity, while opponents warn it risks undermining public education for other students.