HARRISBURG, Pa. — Ohio senator and presidential nominee Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance visited Harrisburg’s Rock Church for a town hall on Saturday.
The event was sponsored and hosted by Black Pastors United for Education, a non-religious, bipartisan organization that educates under-resourced children in non-traditional learning spaces.
The candidate discussed childhood education and school choice during the event.
“When you give parents and people who care the most about these children control over [their] education, they’re going to choose better than anybody else what’s best for their kid," said Vance. "But a lot of people can’t choose because they don’t have the money to choose."
Vance stated during the town hall that if elected, he and Donald Trump would give decision-making power back to families and local government.
According to a public opinion tracker published by the nonpartisan group Ed Choice, more than 70% of Pennsylvania school parents strongly or somewhat strongly support school choice policies, including ESAs, Vouchers and Charter Schools.
“You ask why that is and unfortunately it’s because we spend way too much on education bureaucracy, on education administration and not enough on teachers and students,” Vance explained.
During a visit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trump called education a civil rights issue, a sentiment that Vance shares.
“The government happens through consent, and if the American people aren’t consent[ing] to this stuff then we have a real problem,” Vance continued.
Trump stated he would cut the Department of Education and redirect public school funds as vouchers to families. However, a spokesperson for Harris for PA says this would do more harm than good.
In a statement to FOX43, the spokesperson wrote, “Vice President Harris is fighting to increase opportunity for the next generation. Donald Trump and JD Vance’s Project 2025 would give Trump unchecked power to raise costs by nearly $4,000 per year for families, eliminate the Department of Education and rip away preschool for thousands of kids across the Commonwealth.”
Additional information provided by Onotse Omoyeni, Pennsylvania Rapid Response Director for Harris for PA, can be found here.
Trump spoke at Pennsylvania State College on Saturday, continuing the campaign's effort to secure the key swing state. The Harris-Walz campaign is scheduled to return to Pennsylvania this weekend, with Harris expected to make an appearance in Philadelphia on Sunday.