Fox News host Chris Wallace challenged Trump administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on a threat to cut off funding for schools that don’t return to in-school learning amid the coronavirus pandemic on this week’s broadcast of “Fox News Sunday.”
Wallace said, “Both you and the president have threatened to cut off funding for school systems that don’t open fully in the fall. ”
He continued, “One, under what authority are you and the president unilaterally going to cut off funding. Funding that’s been approved by Congress — and most of the money goes to disadvantaged students or students with disabilities? And secondly, isn’t cutting off funding exactly the wrong answer? Don’t you want to spend more money to make schools safer, whether it’s with plastic shields or health checks, various other systems? Doesn’t it make more sense to increase funding for schools where it’s unsafe rather than cut off funding?”
DeVos said, “America investment in education is a promise to students and their families. If schools aren’t going to reopen and not fulfill that promise, they shouldn’t get the funds. Then give it to the families to decide to go to a school that is going to meet that promise.”
Wallace said, “You can’t do that. I know you guys support vouchers, and that’s a reasonable argument, but you can’t do that unilaterally, you have to do that through Congress.”
DeVos said, “Well, we’re looking at all the options because it’s a promise to the American people and their families. And we want to make sure that promise if followed through on.”
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