New York Gov. Cuomo blasts Trump on school reopenings: ‘It’s not up to the president’

FAN Editor

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the daily media briefing at the Office of the Governor of the State of New York on June 12, 2020 in New York City.

Jeenah Moon | Getty Images

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted President Donald Trump on Wednesday for pressuring state officials to reopen schools this fall, saying the federal government doesn’t have any authority over the matter.

“School reopenings are a state decision. Period. That is the law and that is the way we’re going to proceed. It’s not up the President of the United States,” Cuomo said during a news briefing in Albany. “The president does not have any authority to open schools. We will open the schools if it is safe to open the schools. Everybody wants the schools open.”

On Tuesday, Trump — joined by first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence at the White House — said he would pressure states to reopen schools this fall. Although dozens of states are struggling to contain a resurgence in Covid-19 cases, the president called for schools to open in August and September. 

Trump ramped up his campaign earlier Wednesday, threatening to withhold federal funding from schools that don’t resume in-person classes this fall. 

Meanwhile, Cuomo said he will announce the state’s decision on whether schools will open in August after thoroughly reviewing public health data and reopening plans from local school districts.

“The test that I bring to all of these things, day camps, overnight camps, is my child test. I am not going to ask anyone to put their child in a situation that I would not put my child and that’s how I make these decisions. If it’s not safe for my child, it’s not safe for your child. So we’ll get that data and we’ll make that decision in August,” he said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced earlier Wednesday that its public schools, the nation’s largest school system, won’t fully reopen this fall.

The district, which has 1.1 million students, will use a combination of in-person class and remote learning, he said. The “vast majority” of students will attend in-person class for two or three days each week, de Blasio said. 

Cuomo said reopening schools is tied the economic reopening. “You can’t really reopen the economy fully if you have the schools closed,” he said.

“The federal government has no legal authority when it comes to school openings. This is just a redux of what the President did on the economic reopening,” he said.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

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