Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is adamant the Trump administration has no intention to revoke funding from schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Host of CNN’s “State of the Union” Dana Bash alleged the Trump administration has threatened to take funding away from schools if they choose not to reopen in the fall.
She asked DeVos how it helps to take money away from school districts in the middle of a pandemic.
DeVos explained the administration does not want to take money away and is more focused on reopening schools.
“There’s no desire to take money away. In fact, we want to see schools open and have been committed to ensuring the resources are there to do that,” DeVos said.
Watch her comments below:
"There is no desire to take money away," Education Secretary Betsy DeVos says when asked about the threat to school funding over reopening plans from the Trump administration #CNNSOTU https://t.co/G15h54QkmZ pic.twitter.com/nwjFTFGkAj
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) July 12, 2020
Bash pressed DeVos on whether or not the threat to revoke funding is still present among the administration.
DeVos reiterated the administration is doing everything it can to bring students back into the classroom.
“We are committed to ensuring students are in school and learning and parents need to have the flexibility and the resources to be able to take their kids to a school if their school refuses to open or doesn’t serve their student,” DeVos said.
DeVos previously received heavy criticism for suggesting children have to take risks to go back to school, as IJR previously reported.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) fired back at DeVos calling her remarks “ill-informed.”
On Wednesday, Trump issued a tweet threatening to “cut off funding” if schools remained closed in the fall, as IJR previously reported.
Speaking at a White House event on Tuesday, Trump vowed to put pressure on governors and other officials to reopen schools.
Trump pushed for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise its guidance on reopening schools.
However, CDC Director Robert Redfield said the CDC does not plan to revise its guidelines.
