Schools Reopening: Trump faults CDC’s expensive recommendations, threatens to cut off funding to schools

The United States President, Donald Trump, has faulted the expensive recommendations submitted by the country’s Center for Disease Control on schools reopening.

The president reacted that the recommendations were not only expensive but also impracticable.

While disclosing this on Wednesday July 8, 2020, the US Vice President, Mike Pence, said the CDC had disclosed plan to issue new guidelines for the reopening schools.

In his reaction, to the recommendations, Trump accused Democrats of wanting to keep schools shut for political reasons. He threatened that he would cut off federal funding to schools that do not reopen, despite a surge in coronavirus cases.

“I disagree with CDC on their very tough and expensive guidelines for opening schools.

“While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things. I will be meeting with them!!!” Trump said on Twitter.

After consultations with top health and education officials, Pence stated that the CDC will issue a “new set of tools next week to give more clarity on the guidance going forward.

“The president said today we just don’t want the guidance to be too tough,” Pence said.

CDC Director Robert Redfield stressed that agency guidelines were not requirements.

“It would be personally very disappointing to me, and I know my agency, if we saw that individuals were using these guidelines as a rationale for not reopening our schools,” Redfield said.

White House spokeswoman, Kayleigh McEnany, clarified that the White House did not pressure the CDC to revise its recommendations.

The CDC has made a number of recommendations for schools, including testing for COVID-19, dividing students into small groups, serving packaged lunches in classrooms instead of cafeterias, and minimizing sharing of school supplies.

It has advised that seats be spaced at least six feet apart and that sneeze guards and partitions be put in place when social distancing is not possible.

“The Dems think it would be bad for them politically if U.S. schools open before the November Election, but is important for the children & families. May cut off funding if not open!” Trump said on Twitter.