Florida Dem backed by DSA claims billionaires want to defund schools to exploit future prison labor
Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon said during an interview Monday that billionaires want to defund public schools to fuel the "school-to-prison pipeline" and exploit prison labor.
While speaking with "Democracy Now!," Nixon discussed her affordability platform, which led to her remarking on the importance of affordable childcare.
"I support universal childcare," Nixon said. "I know that for every dollar we put into childcare, we get $3 back in the economy, because that allows parents to be able to work. That also allows our children to be diverted from the school-to-prison pipeline, which, you know, these for-profit prisons, these elected officials, these billionaires, they want our children to have an ill education, a ridiculous, a horrible education, right?"
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She continued, "Which is why they’re defunding public schools, because they want to usher them into the school-to-prison pipeline. Why? Why make sure that our children have a good-quality education, when they know they’ll make more money off of them going to prison, and exploiting their labor?"
During the interview, she also rejected suggestions that she supports defunding the police while reiterating her opposition to private prisons.
"I know there’s a rumor going around saying that I want to abolish prisons. I don’t. I want to abolish for-profit prisons. There’s also a rumor going around saying that I want to defund the police. I don’t want to defund the police. I want to defund Flock cameras, so that bad cops don’t have the ability to stalk their ex-girlfriends or their ex-boyfriends. I want to make sure that we have a justice system that works for everyone, not just for the billionaires and co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein, who actually are treated more fairly than a single mom who got caught stealing formula to make sure that her child had food," Nixon said.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Nixon's campaign for comment.
Nixon has denied being a socialist despite her membership in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). In a "Meet the Press NOW" interview on Thursday, Nixon said she joined the organization because it supported public housing, healthcare, helping homeless veterans and removing big money from politics. However, she has denied supporting the DSA's other goals of abolishing the Senate or defunding the military.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., who fled Fidel Castro's Cuba, told Fox News Digital Tuesday that her denial should be viewed as suspicious.
"She's either a bona fide socialist, or she's not very smart, because she ended up being a member of the Democratic Socialists of America," Gimenez said.
He added, "I don't know what the heck she thought she was joining… Socialists [and] communists, deny what they are until they get into power."