WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans in the House of Representatives want to use up to $5 billion a year for scholarships. These scholarships would help families send their children to private and religious schools. This is a new plan to use public money for private education.

The plan, which was in a budget bill on Monday, wants to help President Trump reach his goal of giving families school choice everywhere. It would let families across the country choose to educate their children at a school different from their local public school. Almost all families could get this option, except those who make more than three times the average income in their area.

People who support using government money for private schools say they want to give families more choices if their children go to schools that are not doing well.

Republican Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy said that when parents can choose the best school for their child, it helps make the American Dream possible. He also supported a similar plan in the Senate.

People could support the program by giving money or shares. They would get all of their contribution back as a tax discount. This would help people who own shares avoid paying taxes they would usually pay if they gave away or transferred their shares.

Critics strongly criticized the plan, saying it would help wealthy people and hurt public schools that teach most students. They said it would create a tax advantage for smart investors to make money by saying they are donating.

This is happening while the Trump government is making the Education Department smaller and reducing the money given to public schools. This includes cutting a billion dollars for mental health programs and money to train teachers.

“This is a big danger,” said Sasha Pudelski. She also said that in states where voucher programs exist, the money often helps families who were already sending their children to private schools. “This makes a problem that already affects voucher programs across the country even worse: a lot of wasted money, cheating, and misuse.”

Programs that help pay for private school are becoming common in conservative states like Texas, which just started a $1 billion program. People who support public schools worry these programs will lead to fewer students and less money for each student, meaning less support for families who choose public schools.