Economic adviser Larry Kudlow’s comments seem to run counter to CDC guidelines on reopening schools, which the President slammed as ‘tough and expensive’

Kudlow’s comments seemed to run counter to President Donald Trump’s dissatisfaction with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines on reopening schools, which the President slammed on Wednesday as “very tough and expensive.” Trump also threatened to cut off federal funding for schools if they don’t open in the fall, the latest stress for schools already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.

While the CDC has released guidance to schools on how to safely bring children back into the classroom, the administration has said most of the decision making will be left up to local districts — suggesting there will be a piecemeal approach to how children across the nation will be educated in the fall. Congress has so far passed about $30 billion in aid for schools to deal with coronavirus — about $13 billion of which went to K-12 institutions. But educators say billions more will be needed to pay for things like masks, cleaning supplies, handwashing stations and possibly more staff to conduct temperature checks, and Congress is still trillions of dollars apart on another stimulus package to respond to the pandemic.

Any reductions in federal funding would hit schools hard, and re-opening in the fall while taking precautions to limit the spread of the virus could come with a steep price tag. The average district may have to spend an additional $1.8 million to institute and adhere to health and safety protocols, according to a joint estimate by the School Superintendents Association (AASA) and the Association of School Business Officials International.

Those complications were apparently lost on Kudlow on Friday as he simply suggested schools “put the guys in classrooms and let them learn.”

“The President has been very vocal about going back to school. And I would add to that, as I said all these fancy colleges and universities, of which I went to one,” Kudlow continued. “They should get with the drill, you know? Put the guys in classrooms and let them learn. Or, God knows what they’re teaching, but whatever. I’ll put it in good faith.”

Kudlow isn’t the first administration official to echo Trump’s calls to reopen schools without addressing concerns over how to do so safely.