Trump Compares Special Olympics Debacle To Canceled North Korea Sanctions

President Donald Trump on Friday compared this weeks debacle over federal funding for the Special Olympics to the confusion that followed Trumps reversal of sanctions linked to North Korea last week.

In a certain way, its like the Special Olympics, Trump said, according to Talking Points Memo . Trump was referencing the new sanctions against North Korea, which he canceled last week.

For many years, it hasnt been approved, and then at some point it gets negotiated out in Congress, the president continued. Well, I went out, and I said were going to have funding for the Special Olympics. So that is why I approved that.

In a confusing move last week, Trump announced he was canceling new sanctions made against two Chinese shipping companies that the Treasury Department claimed helped North Korea evade sanctions targeting its nuclear weapons program. The Treasury Department announced the penalties one day earlier.

Trump made a similar move again on Thursday, this time after statements by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos . One day after DeVos was fiercely criticized for defending the Trump administration s proposal to cut federal funding for the Special Olympics, Trump said he was trying to protect the organization.

Undermining DeVos defense of the budget cut, Trump claimed he had overridden [his] people in order to protect funding for the Special Olympics.

On Friday, Trump said his exchange with the Treasury Department and DeVos were similar.

So it is a little bit of a similar situation with different parties, to put it mildly, Trump said, according to ABC News.

President Trump compared his decision to unexpectedly revoke NK sanctions after Treasury announced them to the Special Olympics snafu. Its a little bit of similar situation with different parties, to put it mildly.

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President Trump compared his decision to unexpectedly revoke NK sanctions after Treasury announced them to the Special Olympics snafu. Its a little bit of similar situation with different parties, to put it mildly.
Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) March 29, 2019

Although DeVos further defended the proposed Special Olympic cuts after the plan went viral earlier this week, the education secretary adjusted her tone on the organizations funding after Trump spoke out against it.

I am pleased and grateful the president and I see eye to eye on this issue, and that he has decided to fund our Special Olympics grant, she said in a statement, one day after saying in another statement that the Special Olympics already received robust private support and thus didnt need federal funds.

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