White House defends proposed budget for reopening schools
23 February 2021
The White House is defending against criticism of its proposed budget to reopen schools found in its larger $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill, stressing the need for “aggressive action” in points shared exclusively with Axios.
Why it matters: Republicans have been hammering the White House for insisting the proposed funding is necessary to reopen schools, arguing much of the money from the original CARES Act has yet to be spent.
- "They're doing devastating, long-term damage to these kids by not reopening. And it's a national disgrace," Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) said during an interview on Fox News last Thursday.
The White House is arguing this budget proposal takes into account funds that schools received from the first stimulus package and the December bill that they will continue to spend over the next two school years.
- It also points to the fact the majority of education costs are personnel or "otherwise built into spending plans."
- During a briefing Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said schools need to "obligate funds according to spending plans, rather than exhausting all balances as soon as they're received."
By the numbers: Nearly $130 billion of the broader stimulus package is for K-12 public schools.
- The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan institution, says states have only spent $3 billion out of the $13 billion appropriated by the CARES Act.
- It estimates that $6 billion of the new proposed budget of $130 billion would make its way to schools this year.
But, but, but: The White House argues the data has a 30-90 day lag, so it's possible the number already spent from the CARES Act is higher — and potentially half of $13 billion.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.