BATON ROUGE - Amid debates over whether to fund Louisiana’s own school choice voucher program, LA GATOR, U.S. Secretary of the Department of Education Linda McMahon publicly supported a proposal to double program funding.

“Every child deserves access to an education that works for them,” McMahon posted on X.

Responding to McMahon, Gov. Jeff Landry thanked her for her support in expanding the voucher program.

“In Louisiana, we believe families should pick a school that best fits their child’s needs,” Landry responded in a post on X.

In Gov. Landry’s proposed budget, funding for the voucher program doubles from $44 million to $88.2 million.

The funding increase has been criticized by State Senate President Cameron Henry, who says he wants to see additional data to see if students are benefiting and whether the state should let families, even those not currently eligible for the state aid, receive public assistance to attend public schools.