Schwarzenegger: Trump cuts fall "on the backs" of poor kids

LOS ANGELES — Saying “this is not how you make America great,’’ former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday challenged President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.2 billion in cuts to after-school programs, arguing that the president is attempting to “balance the budget on the backs” of America’s vulnerable low-income children.

“President Trump promised us that he wants to make America great again,’’ said Schwarzenegger, who convened a National Afterschool Summit on Tuesday before an audience of several hundred educators and activists at the University of Southern California institute that bears his name.


"Taking $1.2 billion away from the children and robbing them blind. ... Why would you do that?’’ Schwarzenegger asked. “Everyone that is smart knows ... that for every dollar you spend in an after-school program, you save $3-$6 down the line."

The summit follows the March release of Trump’s 2018 budget, which proposes slashing $9 billion from federal education spending — a cut of 13.5 percent. The president’s plan calls for eliminating $1.2 billion in grants for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a program that supports after-school programs and summer programs serving millions of low-income kids.

The high-profile public session at USC, which drew celebrities including Mario Lopez of "Entertainment Tonight" and J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans, as well as elected officials and parents, also comes as Schwarzenegger and Trump have publicly sparred on Facebook and Twitter about issues both political and personal.

Trump, in recent weeks, has insulted Schwarzenegger on Twitter about his ratings on “Celebrity Apprentice." The former governor responded in a tweet that he quit the show because of its negative association with Trump. Schwarzenegger most recently jabbed at the president for his collapsing poll numbers, citing the president’s budget proposals to slash not only after-school programs, but also programs benefiting seniors, like Meals on Wheels.

Schwarzenegger, who served as a key adviser to and high-profile advocate of programs like the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and the Special Olympics — and whose rise in state politics was pegged to his support of after-school programs — said Wednesday that the programs being threatened by the Trump budget provide a critical social, cultural and artistic network for kids, and contribute to physical fitness. He argued that they also serve communities by keeping kids off the streets during critical hours when law enforcement officials say they are most likely to get into drugs, crime and early sexual activity.

The former governor appeared to deliver a thinly veiled contrast between his own advocacy and the approach favored by Trump, who often takes to Twitter to address issues.

“I am a person who does not like to sit in front of the television and complain,’’ said Schwarzenegger. “Is better to go and have a solution — and do something about it.’’

At USC on Wednesday, the former governor urged parents and teachers in the crowd to protest the cuts, and to talk to elected officials on both sides of the aisle. “This is not a party issue. This is a people’s issue,’’ he said to applause. “You talk to both Democrats and Republicans and make sure the money goes back into the budget.”

Trump's budget director, Mike Mulvaney, has argued that the budget cuts to the school programs are justified because “there’s no demonstrable evidence they’re actually helping results, helping kids do better at school.”

But Bonnie Reiss, a UC regent who has worked on Schwarzenegger’s initiatives for years, said that the programs, which serve millions of low-income children, have an impact on test scores and increase attendance and the likelihood of children advancing in the educational system.

The president has proposed shifting money into charter schools and school vouchers, which he and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos argue would give children and their parents more choice in their education.

