Trump Threatens to ‘Cut off Funding’ as He Pushes for Schools to Reopen in the Fall

President Donald Trump is continuing his push to get schools to re-open in the fall as the future of the coronavirus may seem uncertain. On Wednesday, Trump threatened to “cut off funding.”

In a tweet, Trump wrote, “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!”

In a follow-up tweet, he said that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tough guidelines for schools re-opening, writing, “I disagree with 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!!!”

Trump has taken a hard line on schools re-opening and has accused former vice president Joe Biden and other Democrats of wanting the schools to stay closed in the fall “for political reasons.” Trump said, “They think it will help them in November.”

Some schools have already said that they are planning a modified schedule. Fairfax County, one of the largest school districts in the nation and which is just outside of Washington, D.C., has asked parents to choose between four days of virtual instruction or two days of on-campus learning plus independent study.

Harvard said that they will invite less than half of their students onto campus this fall and that all undergraduate instruction will be virtual.

Biden’s website says that he wants to reopen schools in the fall, arguing, “Trump has done effectively nothing to help schools or child care providers reopen, perhaps the single most important step to get parents back to work. While schools stay closed, parents are struggling and students, especially low-income students and students of color, are falling behind.”