President Donald Trump is taking aim at schools and universities accusing them of not focusing on education.
Trump took to Twitter on Friday to accuse schools and universities of failing to properly educate students and threatened to revoke their tax-exempt status.
“Too many Universities and School Systems are about Radical Left Indoctrination, not Education. Therefore, I am telling the Treasury Department to re-examine their Tax-Exempt Status…” Trump said.
He added, “… and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!”
… and/or Funding, which will be taken away if this Propaganda or Act Against Public Policy continues. Our children must be Educated, not Indoctrinated!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2020
Trump’s comments come shortly after he threatened to “cut off funding” if schools do not reopen in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, as IJR previously reported.
Speaking at a White House event on Tuesday, Trump said he would put pressure on governors and other local officials to reopen schools.
Trump has received backlash from several over his constant push to reopen schools.
During his press briefing on Wednesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) claimed Trump did not have the “authority” to reopen schools, as IJR previously reported.
Cuomo suggested the decision to reopen schools is a state decision.
National Education Association President Lily Eskelsen Garcia caught wind of Trump’s comments and challenged him to “sit in a class of 39 sixth graders and breathe that air.”
Trump pushed for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise its guidance on reopening schools.
He called them “very tough” and “expensive.”
CDC Director Robert Redfield said the CDC does not plan to revise its guidelines.
Universities are facing their own challenges as a result of the outbreak.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Monday international students will need to leave the United States, or transfer schools, if they are enrolled in online classes only.
Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the rule.
