While President Donald Trump’s administration pushes schools to reopen in the Fall, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is calling on the president to ensure that schools have the necessary resources to reopen safely.
“If we’re going to do it, let’s give it its best shot and make a judgment if that’s good enough,” Pelosi said during an interview on MSNBC on Monday.
Additionally, Pelosi called on Trump to implement the Defense Production Act “so we have the PPE — the personal protective equipment — and we have the equipment for testing, and very importantly the equipment to get the results from the testing. It’s no use taking a test if you’re not going to get your results for a week later.”
Pelosi went on to argue that the Senate needs to pass the Democratically crafted HEROES Act to provide the resources for schools to open safely.
However, she claimed that Republicans do not want to pass that bill because “they don’t want to support the state and local” governments.
“Let’s show that we put children first and their education by putting the resources there. Because without the resources, we shouldn’t even be thinking about sending them back to school,” Pelosi added.
Watch the video below:
Speaker Pelosi urges President Trump to implement the Defense Production Act to ensure the safety of children going back to school
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) July 13, 2020
"Without the resources, we shouldn't even be thinking about sending them back to school." pic.twitter.com/TNJWXnQaVu
Her comments come as Trump has stated that he wants schools to be open in the Fall.
During a discussion on reopening schools at the White House on July 7, Trump said, “We’re very much going to put pressure on governors and everybody else to open the schools.”
In his push to reopen schools, Trump has cited guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that said, “All policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.”
However, on Friday, the AAP released a statement that urged schools to develop policies to reopen safely.
“Returning to school is important for the healthy development and well-being of children,” the statement read.
It continued, “But we must pursue reopening in a way that is safe for all students, teachers, and staff. Science should drive decision-making on safely reopening schools. Public health agencies must make recommendations based on evidence, not politics. We should leave it to health experts to tell us when the time is best to open up school buildings, and listen to educators and administrators to shape how we do it.”
The AAP also called on the federal government to “provide the federal resources needed to ensure that inadequate funding does not stand in the way of safely educating and caring for children in our schools.”
Pelosi has previously criticized the Trump administration’s push to reopen the schools, as IJR reported.
On Sunday, she called the push “appalling” and claimed administration officials were ignoring scientific advice on reopening schools and “messing with the health of our children.”
