Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday challenged Trump administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over a threat to cut off funding for schools that do not agree to gathering students together during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Both you and the president have threatened to cut off funding for schools systems that don't open fully in the fall," Wallace explained during an interview with DeVos. "Are you and the president unilaterally going to cut off funding that's been approved by Congress -- and most of the money goes to disadvantaged students or students with disabilities?"
Wallace continued: "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?" he asked.
DeVos doubled down on her threat to defund the education system.
"If schools aren't going to reopen and not fulfill that promise, they shouldn't get the funds," the education secretary opined. "Then give it to the families to decide to go to a school that is going to meet that promise."
Wallace pointed out that a public health emergency is not the time to push a longtime Republican-led effort to favor private schools over public schools.
"You can't do that!" the Fox News host said. "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."
"Well, we're looking at all the options because it's a promise to the American people and their families," DeVos remarked. "And we want to make sure that promise if followed through on."
