On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that schools need a stimulus package to be passed. This comes after new guidelines were released by the CDC last week with specific steps that schools can take to get children back in the classroom.
On ABC’s “This Week,” Dr. Fauci was asked by George Stephanopoulos about the directions released by the CDC and the lack of vaccination requirements for teachers.
The White House chief medical adviser said that it is “totally understandable” that teachers have concern, but “the issue is that there are a lot of things that can be done. And they are really delineated pretty clearly in … the guidelines that are coming out that would make the risk less.”
He added that this is the first time such a comprehensive document has been released, saying that vaccinating teachers is part of it, but “it’s not something that you can’t open a school unless all the teachers are vaccinated. That would be optimal if you could do that, but practically speaking, when you balance the benefit of getting the children back to school with the fact that the risks are being mitigated if you follow the recommendations and these new guidelines from the CDC, hopefully, I think that will alleviate the concerns on both sides.”
Stephanopoulos made the point that these are guidelines, not requirements, and asked Fauci how confident he is that the recommendations will be followed. He also asked if school districts have the resources they need to open safely.
Fauci focused on the second part of the host’s question, responding: “I think that the schools really do need more resources, and that’s the reason why the national relief act that we’re talking about getting passed — we need that. The schools need more resources.”
Fauci added that it’s important to get children back to school in a way that is “safe for the children, but also safe for the teachers and the other educators.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky discussed the relationship between school re-opening guidelines and vaccination requirements over the weekend, as well.
As reported by The Daily Wire:
…Walensky told CNN Sunday that teachers do not to be vaccinated in order to return to classrooms but suggested that schools would need to require “universal masking” in order to safely return to in-person learning.
“I’m a strong advocate of teachers receiving their vaccinations, but we don’t believe it’s a prerequisite for reopening schools,” Walensky told host Jake Tapper.
Last week, committees in the House refashioned parts of the stimulus bill, which is expected to be put into one piece of legislation early next week by the House Budget Committee.
Included in the restructuring of the package was the controversial proposal to increase the minimum wage to $15. This would be done steadily over four years. According to The Wall Street Journal, the bill also includes “$1,400 per-person direct payments, an expanded child tax credit, aid to state and local governments and an expansion of unemployment insurance with $400-per-week federal payments through Aug. 29.”
In order to pass the bill, The Wall Street Journal reports:
Democrats are trying to use a process known as reconciliation that would allow the Senate to pass the Covid-19 relief bill with a simple majority, rather than the usual 60 votes.
It is not clear if using this process will be permissible in order to raise the minimum wage, due to Senate rules. The nonpartisan parliamentarian of the Senate will be the one to decide which measures are permitted.
President Biden met with a bipartisan group of U.S. mayors and governors on Friday to “discuss the vital need to pass the American Rescue Plan,” as described by the President’s remarks released by the White House.
Some who attended the meeting reportedly said that states and cities need more money, but others thought the package was too expensive.
The Wall Street Journal notes:
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, said he thought the $1.9 trillion price tag was too high. “I agree with the urgency of it, but the urgency can be accomplished just as quickly with compromise,” he said. “I think it sets a bad precedent to ram that through on a partisan vote.”
The Democrats are reportedly preparing to pass the relief bill with no votes from Republicans.