DeVos refuses to say whether Trump's threats to pull funding from schools are real

Dana Bash and Betsy DeVos. — (Image credit: Screenshot/CNN)

The topic of reopening schools in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic made the network rounds Sunday.

Most everyone seemed to agree that states should do what they can to get kids back into the classroom after the summer, but plenty of people expressed concern. Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said while children are less susceptible to infection, they aren't immune to it. He added that no country, save for possibly Sweden, tried to open schools "against so much spread," making the United States a "unique case" in need of protective measures.

Phoenix, Arizona, Mayor Kate Gallego said many elected schoolboard leaders in her community, which has been hit hard in recent weeks, are saying they can't reopen schools safely until "at least October." If that's the case, Gallego said she hopes there will be "full financial support" since President Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding for school districts that keep delaying their reopening.

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CNN's Dana Bash asked Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has suggested redistributing those funds directly to parents, about the issue during Sunday's edition of State of the Union. DeVos did say "there is no desire to take money away" and said the White House is committed to "ensuring the resources are there" to help schools fully reopen five days a week, but she didn't provide a clear answer about whether pulling funding is a possibility if schools don't open their doors. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.