Two weeks ago, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced that she would go through with President Donald Trump’s budget plan for the next fiscal year by cutting funds to the Special Olympics. However, Trump then went over the decision, and after a grueling two days of outcries from both Democrats and Republicans, declared there would be funding for the Special Olympics after all.

After the announcement from the president, news about the proposed budget cuts from DeVos fell mostly silent. People seem to have stopped caring about the whole ordeal even though there was so much more to it.

The proposed budget for the next fiscal year would see billions of dollars cut from education in favor of the military and the hypothetical border wall. I am personally shocked that this hasn’t gotten more coverage, especially after DeVos tried to follow up with those cuts by leaving the Special Olympics without federal funding.

The leaders of our country continue to undermine education. But what really gets me is that the top politicians keep using it as a bargaining chip. DeVos isn’t even solely responsible for these problems.

In fact, she donated at least her first year’s salary to four organizations, including the Special Olympics, while fighting against the first of three budget cuts under the Trump administration.

Does that mean that Betsy DeVos should be completely forgiven for her choice last month? No, it does not. But I think it’s more important to look at the bigger players, people like Trump and other leading politicians in Congress, who have continuously screwed over the Department of Education year after year.

At what point do we the people make our voices heard? When do we as a society demand better education, more funding for teachers and schools, and work to help special needs kids? Kids yesterday deserved better, the kids of today deserve better, and if nothing gets done, so will the kids of tomorrow.

Americans must stick up for future generations by demanding proper funding, at the very least, for our schools and teachers. I refuse to believe that a wall, which will not be effective, or a military that is already spending far more than any other country in the world, deserves funding that could go elsewhere.

People argue that we always need a big military and yet they refuse to acknowledge our global presence and outrageously high military budget. Others claim the wall will keep out criminals while simultaneously refusing to believe that most criminal activity they want to stop at the border (primarily drug trafficking) happens at legal border stops.

The excuses made to cut education funding are unacceptable. The President of the United States using an unpopular move by his own Education Secretary, a decision his budget proposal caused, to better his own image is unacceptable. The fact that the American public hasn’t lashed out en masse against Congress or Trump is unacceptable.

I know we can do better for ourselves. I know so many people want more for their kids, their grandkids. We have to stop letting these politicians forsake our education, our futures, all in the name of a few good headlines or another term in office.

Hopefully my fellow Americans will start to speak up and then speak louder. I want to work with everyone, not just one side, to get kids and this country what they deserve.