President Donald Trump voiced his displeasure Wednesday with guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control for schools to reopen safely in the fall.
“I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools,” he tweeted. “While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!!” (RELATED: White House Open To Increased Funding For Schools In Next Coronavirus Stimulus Package)
I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools. While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020
The president also lauded “Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries” for reopening schools “with no problems” and threatened to “cut off funding” for any schools that don’t comply.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 07: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos (L) and Nicole Washington (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families,” he wrote. “May cut off funding if not open!”
In Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, SCHOOLS ARE OPEN WITH NO PROBLEMS. The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2020
Trump’s comments come just one day after the White House hosted a series of events centered around schools safely reopening in the fall semester. Education Secretary Betsy DeVoss told Fox News host and Daily Caller founder Tucker Carlson Tuesday evening that the administration is “very seriously” looking at using funding as an incentive to force schools to hold in-person classes in the fall, a statement first made by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at a White House press briefing last week.
“This is a very serious issue across the country. Kids have got to continue learning. Schools have got to continue looking up,” DeVos said Tuesday. “There has got to be a concerted effort to address the needs of all kids and adults who are fear mongering and making excuses simply have got to stop doing it and turn their attention on what is right for students and for their families.”
The Department of Homeland Security announced a rule change this week to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) that would prevent foreign students to travel to or remain in the country unless they are enrolled at a university offering in-person classes in the fall.
Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology filed a suit against DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the rule change.
