A major advocate for conservative education policies in Virginia is stepping back into the public arena with the launch of a new political action committee.
Former Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin launched Empowering America’s Parents (EAP) on Wednesday, which aims to court states that are yet to opt into the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025‘s Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), NBC News reported. EFTC, effective 2027, grants taxpayers an up to $1,700 tax credit for contributing to certain organizations that provide scholarships for education-related services at schools private or public.
EAP plans to launch a multi-million dollar media campaign in key battleground states to support EFTC, a source familiar with Gov. Youngkin’s operation told the Daily Caller News Foundation. These states include Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — each has a Democratic governor.
“These far-left governors are playing politics. This program does not raise your taxes and it does not take a dollar from public schools–scholarships are even available to students enrolled in public schools,” the source said.
Youngkin’s advocacy against Critical Race Theory, Social Emotional Learning, and DEI in education played a key role in his victory during Virginia’s 2021 Gubernatorial Election, the DCNF previously reported.
“Gov. Youngkin’s been focused on this issue since he launched his campaign for governor over 5 years ago,” the source said. “Then, during the Working Families Tax Cuts Act discussions he was focused on this life-changing school choice opportunity. He helped Treasury write the regs for it and was the first governor in the nation to sign up for the Education Freedom Tax Credit.”
Around 90% of K-12 students are expected to be eligible for EFTC, according to an American Federation for Children report published in July.
“Nothing is more important than our kids. That’s why in Virginia we went to work to transform our educational system to put parents at the head of the table in their children’s lives,” Youngkin said in a press release shared on his X account Wednesday. “Now, President Donald J. Trump’s Working Families Tax Cut Act has reshaped what parental choice in education looks like with the Education Freedom Tax Credit — a game-changing scholarship program already adopted by 30 states. Regrettably, 20 states have refused to opt-in to these scholarships.”
This launch appears to position EAP as a counterweight to the organizations driving opposition to EFTC throughout the nation.
The bosses of America’s largest teachers unions called EFTC “a Trojan horse carrying near-universal K–12 private school vouchers into every state that participates” in a June letter.
(DCNF)
