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 reject this scheme.
For assistance with advocacy to keep public funds in public schools, contact PFPS. Use this advocacy tool and the many others on this page to oppose the federal voucher program.
Advocacy Resources
Federal Voucher Program Regulations Released! A PFPS Webinar With Everything You Need to Know Right Now (October 2026)
This PFPS webinar features PFPS Director Jessica Levin and ELC Staff Attorney Patrick Cremin in conversation about the U.S. Treasury Department’s proposed regulations to implement the federal private school voucher program. They explain key aspects of the regulations, what they mean for implementation of the program, and what steps public education advocates can take next. Watch the webinar here.
Public Funds Public Schools and National Allies Call on Governors to Reject the Federal Private School Voucher Program (September 2026)
PFPS and over 20 national education, civil rights, labor, and faith-based organizations published an open letter to governors in all 50 states urging them to protect students, families, and public schools by not opting in to the federal private school voucher program. The letter cautions governors that the program will primarily divert federal funds, which should be used for public education and other public goods, to private education providers, and will harm the public schools that serve nearly 90 percent of the nation’s students.
Raising the Alarm: How the National School Voucher Program Will Be Harmful to Students (September 2026)
PFPS Director Jessica Levin testified during this K-12 Education Spotlight Forum hosted by Senator Mazie K. Hirono about the harms of the federal voucher program. Her remarks addressed two common misconceptions about the program and its effect on public education: 1) the idea that the federal voucher program is “free money” without cost to public schools, and 2) the contention that the program will provide significant resources for public schools. Watch the recording here.
How California Can Respond to the Threat of Private School Vouchers (May 2026)
This PFPS resource explains the dangers vouchers pose; highlights recent, concerning pro-voucher developments; and provides recommendations and resources on how to keep California voucher free.
Debunking the Trump Administration's Claims about the Federal Voucher Program (February 2026)
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.
States Should Reject Federal School Voucher Scheme (December 2025)
Robert Kim, Executive Director of Education Law Center, which leads the PFPS campaign, penned this op-ed in The Progressive. It outlines the dangers private school vouchers pose and provides recommendations and resources to help states protect and strengthen public schools.
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 & Podcasts
What Almost Everybody Gets Wrong About the Federal Voucher Scheme: Answers to Your Burning Questions With PFPS Director Jessica Levin (June 2026):
This PFPS webinar features PFPS Director Jessica Levin, an attorney specializing in voucher law, in a Q&A session with ELC Staff Attorney Patrick Cremin. The webinar addressed common questions and misinterpretations that are impacting the national conversation about the Trump administration’s dangerous federal voucher scheme that was passed by Congress in 2025 and will begin in 2027, including key provisions of the federal voucher statute, what forthcoming regulations to implement the program can and cannot do, how taxpayer dollars will flow through the program, who will benefit and who will be harmed, and strategies for public education advocates in every state.
No Accountability, No Transparency: Scholarship Granting Organizations under the Federal Voucher Program (May 2026)
This webinar explored the role of Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) under the federal voucher program, focusing on concerns around transparency, accountability, and discrimination against students and families. Speakers also discussed why public schools will be harmed rather than benefit from the program and shared tools and strategies advocates can use to encourage governors not to opt in. The conversation underscored the importance of investing public funds in strengthening public schools.
Inside Trump's Stealth School Voucher Program: What's At Stake (March 2026)
PFPS Director Jessica Levin appeared on the Education on the Line podcast to discuss how the federal voucher program is structured and the many dangers it poses to students, public schools, and democracy.
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
The PFPS interactive bill tracker includes state legislation related to the federal voucher program, such as bills that would require a state to opt in or out of the program. It also tracks all bills in state legislatures and the U.S. Congress that create, expand, scale back, or otherwise modify private school voucher programs, with users able to search by bill number, state, or PFPS-assigned categories. View a short demonstration of the bill tracker here.
Social Media Clips
PFPS has produced short, shareable videos about the federal voucher program. These clips are available by visiting our pages on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, and LinkedIn (@edlawcenter). Advocates are encouraged to share these videos on their platforms to educate on this harmful program.
Info on Harmful Federal Voucher Scheme
Public Schools Won't Benefit from Federal Vouchers
School Vouchers Fail to Improve Student Outcomes
Who Will Actually Benefit from the Federal Voucher Program
PFPS Director Jessica Levin Explains the Harmful Federal Voucher Program
Federal Vouchers are Not Private Money or Free Money
What to Expect from Federal Voucher Program Regulations
Federal Vouchers Won't Help Public Schools
Federal Vouchers are Not Evitable. Here's How to Stop Them
The Secret Middlemen Behind SGOs
The Biggest Myth About School Vouchers
The Politics Behind Federal School Vouchers
Tactics To Undermine Public Education
Regulations
On October 1, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department and IRS issued temporary regulations and a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the federal voucher program. Read PFPS Director Jessica Levin’s statement on the proposed regulations here.
Public comments on the NPRM must be submitted by December 1, 2026. They can be submitted electronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal (indicate IRS and REG-117199-25) or mailed to CC:PA:01:PR (REG-117199-25), Room 5503, Internal Revenue Service, P.O. Box 7604, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, DC 20044.
A public hearing on the proposed regulations is scheduled for December 15, 2026, at 10 a.m. ET. Participants may attend in person or telephonically. Requests to speak and outlines of topics to be discussed at the public hearing must be received by December 1, 2026. Any requests to attend or speak at the public hearing should be directed to [email protected].
In late 2025, the U.S. Department of Treasury and U.S. Department of Education issued a Request for Comments to inform the forthcoming proposed regulations. PFPS submitted public comments in response.
Additional Partner Resources
Learning Policy Institute, What Does the New Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program Mean for States? (October 2026)
The Century Foundation, A New Federal Voucher Program Poised to Ramp Up School Segregation (July 2026)
MassBudget and Policy Center, Why Massachusetts Should Not Opt-In to the Federal School Voucher Program (July 2026)
Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers, in The Daily News, N.Y. doesn't need this voucher scheme (June 2026)
American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, Open Letter to Democratic Governors (June 2026)
NYSUT, Open Letter to Democratic Governors (June 2026)
EdTrust, The Federal Voucher Program is a Costly Illusion (April 2026)
Intercultural Development Research Association, The Federal Voucher Program – Doubling Down on Harming Students and Public Schools (March 2026)
National Education Association, In the Public Interest, The New Federal Voucher Program: Considerations for Policymakers (February 2026)
National Coalition for Public Education, The Federal Tax Credit Voucher Program: A Landscape of Risks for Public Schools and Students (December 2025)
Kevin Welner and Kathy Gebhardt in the Colorado Sun, Opinion: Take Note, Gov. Polis: Coloradans Have Repeatedly Said No to School Vouchers (December 2025)
National Coalition for Public Education, Information on the Federal Voucher Program (September 2025)