WH Chief of Staff Weighs in as CDC Finds Schools May Be Able to Reopen Safely With Precautions
White House chief of staff Ron Klain is speaking out about schools and the coronavirus pandemic. During an interview on CNN’s “OutFront” with host Erin Burnett on Tuesday evening, Burnett noted the U.S. Centers for…
White House chief of staff Ron Klain is speaking out about schools and the coronavirus pandemic.
During an interview on CNN’s “OutFront” with host Erin Burnett on Tuesday evening, Burnett noted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said K-12 schools may be able to reopen safely.
She then asked why so many public schools are closed in places where private schools are open across the U.S.
Klain responded, “I’ll give you a word: money. That’s why the president of the United States sent a plan to Congress even before he took office to make the investments you need to make the schools safe.”
He later added, “President Biden has sent a plan to Congress that will make sure that the majority of our schools can be reopened within 100 days. We need Congress to pass that plan,” adding, “Sadly, it costs money.”
Burnett also noted the Chicago Teachers Union voted over the weekend to refuse in-person learning. She asked Klain why he believes “the teachers unions in many cases are overruling what the studies show.”
“I don’t think that teachers’ unions are overruling studies,” Klain responded.
He continued, “I think that what you’re seeing that schools haven’t made the investments to keep the students safe.”