Trump Threatens To Kill Funding For Schools That Don’t Reopen During Pandemic

President Donald Trump is threatening schools with funding cuts if they don’t move to in-person teaching this fall.

“President Donald Trump ramped up his pressure campaign to get public schools to fully reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, tweeting Wednesday that he may withhold federal funding from schools that do not resume in-person classes this fall.

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

The tweet was the latest step in an administration-wide effort to convince schools nationwide that the risks of not reopening for in-person classes outweigh those posed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has reached new record levels across the country in recent weeks.

Shortly after the first tweet, Trump attacked his own administration’s health guidelines for reopening schools, calling them tough, expensive and impractical.

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 tweet represents an escalation of Trump’s battle with his own health experts over how to reopen the country. Earlier this week, Trump directly contradicted the nation’s premier infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is also a key member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

‘The current state [of the virus spread] is really not good,’ Fauci said Tuesday on Facebook Live. ‘We are still knee deep in the first wave’ of COVID-19 infections, he added.

When asked later in the day about Fauci’s assessment of the current state of the pandemic, Trump replied, ‘I disagree with him.'”

For the rest of the story, visit CNBC here.