The sweeping legislation introduced this week on Capitol Hill to enact President Donald Trump’s agenda of tax and spending cuts includes a provision creating a federal tax incentive for donations to scholarships that parents can use to send their children to private schools. 

The initiative, pushed by Rep. Elise Stefanik and others, is considered a big win for the so-called “school choice” movement. It is being met with alarm by public school advocates in New York.  

The provision would allow donors to shave a dollar off their tax bills for every dollar they donate to nonprofits that grant the scholarships. It could be available even in states where vouchers have faced resistance. The proposal is a scaled-down version of a bill introduced by lawmakers earlier this year and would cost billions.

“For too long, students, especially those from underserved communities, have been trapped in failing school systems,” Stefanik said at a press conference this week. 

“School choice gives students the opportunity to succeed,” she added. “It is the great equalizer.”

This tax break, advocates say, aligns with the president’s pledge to expand school choice. 

However, to complete that vision, some advocates argue lawmakers need to go further. 

During a visit to Capitol Hill this week, Eva Moskowitz, the head of New York’s Success Academy Charter Schools, urged lawmakers to also include a separate provision in their sweeping reconciliation package. 

She wants lawmakers to include tax credits for contributions to nonprofit charter schools, arguing the funding could help cover the start-up costs for new schools.

“This is a fast, low-cost — relatively speaking — way of creating high-quality seats at light speed,” Moskowitz said in an interview. 

Both tax credit plans are facing fierce opposition from public school advocates, including parents from New York. 

“This is another attempt to be able to create some sort of streamline for people to profit off the backs of children, unfortunately,” Kaliris Salas of Harlem said. 

“Anything that takes away funding from our public schools is going to worsen our public schools and the experience that our children get,” Dave Chapman of Port Washington said. 

The push for these tax credits — which could benefit private and charter schools — comes as the Trump administration has taken steps to dismantle the federal Department of Education. 

Whether Republicans will be able to pass the president’s sweeping bill to make either of these tax proposals a reality could be difficult given the tight margins on Capitol Hill.