The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. July 13, 2020 Trump & DeVos Threaten to Cut Funding If Schools Stay Closed During Pandemic ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy De Vos are continuing to threaten to cut off federal funding to public schools that refuse to fully reopen in the fall due to the pandemic. On Sunday, De Vos appeared on Fox News. Education Secretary Betsy De Vos: "Look, American 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." De Vos's threat came as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers called on Congress to fund personal protective equipment for school employees, as well as better ventilation systems and cleaning supplies. A new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that nearly 1.5 million teachers are at risk of serious illness or death from the coronavirus.  .