Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).

Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) care so much about D.C. public schools that they’re willing to forgo funding them if a controversial voucher program isn’t revived.

At a hearing today on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which provides qualifying public school students $7,500 a year to attend private schools, Lieberman and Collins heard testimony from Mayor Vince Gray and D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown before laying down the implicit threat. As the first segment of the hearing came to a close, Collins indicated that federal funds for D.C. public schools and charter schools may be at risk if the city doesn’t buck up and accept the voucher program.

That’s likely not an idle threat — Speaker of the House John Boehner is a huge supporter of vouchers, and recently co-sponsored the legislation that would revive the program. (It expired in 2009.) The Republican budget introduced last week directs $60 million towards education programs in the District — $24.5 million for public schools, $20 million for charter schools and $15.5 million for vouchers