Florida Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon stated that billionaires aim to defund public schools to facilitate the school-to-prison pipeline and profit from inmate labor. Nixon articulated this viewpoint during an interview with "Democracy Now!", where she also discussed her platform on affordability and universal 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?"
Nixon elaborated on her assertion, suggesting that the defunding of public schools is a deliberate strategy.
"Which is why they’re defunding public schools, because they want to usher them into the school-to-prison pipeline," she stated. "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, Nixon also addressed rumors about her stance on policing and private prisons. She clarified that she does not support abolishing prisons but rather wants to eliminate for-profit prisons. Similarly, she denied supporting calls to defund the police, instead advocating for defunding Flock cameras, which she argued could be used for stalking.
"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 added.
Nixon, who has faced scrutiny over her past membership in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has stated that she joined the organization because of its support for public housing, healthcare, and assistance for homeless veterans, as well as its stance against big money in politics. She has denied supporting other DSA objectives, such as abolishing the Senate or defunding the military. Republican U.S. Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida expressed skepticism regarding Nixon's denials of being a socialist, telling Fox News Digital that her membership in the DSA makes her either a "bona fide socialist, or she's not very smart."