White House Threatens Florida and Texas with Action by Eduction Department
In states such as Florida and Texas, there is a battle brewing over just how to handle the coronavirus pandemic in schools, and the Biden administration is now threatening to infringe on those states’ rights in order to push their own COVID policies.
Specifically, US President Joe Biden is now suggesting that he’ll be asking the Department of Education to step in – a threat that seriously undermines the power of those states’ elected officials.
President Joe Biden escalated a confrontation with Republican governors over school mask mandates Wednesday, directing the Education Department to “use all available tools” to aid local governments trying to institute the measures.
Advertisement - story continues belowThe battle over face coverings between the Biden administration and GOP governors who have moved to punish school districts for requiring them is roiling an already complicated start to an academic year where educators broadly support full-time, in-person learning. Despite the efforts to reopen classrooms, the number of children hospitalized with Covid-19 has shot up in many parts of the country.
There was no mistaking the President’s intentions.
“We’re not going to sit by as governors try to block and intimidate educators protecting our children,” Biden said during an address on Wednesday.
This is just the latest petty maneuver in a feud between Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly erred on the side of personal freedom when it comes to masks and vaccinations.