Trump threatens to CUT FUNDING for schools that don’t reopen amid Covid-19 pandemic

US President Donald Trump has warned schools that their funding may be cut if they choose to remain closed in the autumn – apparently to the benefit of his political opponents – because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday, adding that he “may cut off funding” if schools refuse to reopen.

Trump’s reasoning is that “in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and many other countries, schools are open with no problems.” However, these four European countries have ‘flattened the curve’ of the infection and generally have a falling weekly number of new cases, likely affected by the recent lifting of lockdown measures.

The US, on the other hand, is yet to reach the pandemic’s peak, according to the country’s chief epidemiologist Dr Anthony Fauci, who said on Tuesday that the country is “still knee deep” in the first wave of its Covid-19 epidemic. He added that this is a result of the government's failure to enact appropriate safety measures and keep the virus’ transmission under control.

Many commenters were quick to challenge Trump’s argument, with some even going so far as to suggest that Trump should first send his own children “into a deadly pandemic petri dish.”

Others shared the president’s sentiment, saying that “schools have no reason not to be open” and that it would be “best for the children, parents, and the economy.”

Trump has been pushing state governments to open schools for some time now. “What we want to do is we want to get our schools open,” he said said on Tuesday, adding: “We want to get them open quickly, beautifully, in the fall.” 

The move to reopen schools faces opposition because of the coronavirus’ increased transmission rates in crowded indoor spaces. 

The US reached three million confirmed Covid-19 cases on Wednesday. The number of daily new infections has been rising since the middle of June, reaching a record high of 57,209 on Friday.  

Like this story? Share it with a friend!