House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is making it clear she does not agree with the Trump administrations’ approach to reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The host of CNN’s “State of the Union” Dana Bash asked Pelosi, in regards to remarks made by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, if she believes students will go back to school safely in the fall.
Pelosi argued the Trump administration is putting children in danger with the way they are pushing for the reopening of schools.
“No, I think what we heard from the secretary was malfeasance and dereliction of duty,” Pelosi said.
She continued, “This is appalling, they’re messing, the president and his administration are messing with the health of our children. We all want our children to go back to school, teachers do, parents do, and children do but they must go back safely.”
Watch her comments below:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the Trump administration's push to restart in-person learning in schools is "messing with the health of our children" and that "going back to school presents the biggest risk for the spread of the coronavirus.” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/qsAECfIGGc
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) July 12, 2020
Pelosi went on to claim sending children back to school only creates a greater risk for the spread of the virus.
She expressed her belief the Trump administration ignores “science” and “governance.”
Pelosi suggested guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should be requirements.
She continued on to urge Republicans to call on Trump to implement the Defense Production Act to provide additional personal protection equipment and testing equipment.
According Pelosi, this is the only way students can return to school safely.
“All of these things are essential to controlling this virus and essential to whether our children go back to school safely,” Pelosi said.
This is not the first time Pelosi criticized DeVos for her position on reopening schools.
During her weekly press conference on Thursday, Pelosi slammed DeVos for suggesting children need to take risks to go back to school calling her remarks “ill-informed”, as IJR previously reported.
