Kamala Harris pushes for $20B in infrastructure funding to go to electric school buses
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:00 PM PT – Tuesday, April 20, 2021
As schools struggle to pick up the pieces from Democrat-led lockdown orders, Kamala Harris seems to have different priorities.
During a photo-op at a bus manufacturing plant in North Carolina on
Monday, Harris claimed school buses are not only an issue for so-called
climate change, but a public health threat.
“Pre-COVID, 25 million children a day in America go to school on a
school bus, and in inhaling those fumes and they are toxic fumes,”
Harris said. “So when we think about this as a public health issue, it
absolutely is one.”
She added, 20 billion taxpayer dollars from Joe Biden’s
infrastructure plan is just the beginning of her agenda to fight
so-called climate change.
“As it relates specifically to electric school busses, the American
jobs, and dedicates $20 billion to getting to the point where we can
electrify all school busses,” Harris stated. “But it’ll be a very
significant step toward that end.”
According to the Public School Review,
the biggest problems schools are facing include classrooms overflowing,
students living in poverty, outdated technology for learning, bullying,
lack of parent involvement, obesity and funding cuts.
This year, the Build America’s Infrastructure Coalition is urging the
Biden administration to prioritize fixing crumbling buildings, address
learning loss from Democrat-led lockdown orders and increase funding for
student mental health programs.
Speaking during an interview on Thursday, Holly Stipes, a language
arts teacher from Issaquah School District in Washington, highlighted
the issues facing the district. These issues include a lack of federal
funds and lockdown mandates, which have contributed to a $36.7 million
deficit for the current school year.
“Please, get creative in how you want to solve this problem,” Stripes
stated. “Because the numbers that I see really show me that the board
does not value the mental health of not only our students, but our
employees.”
At least 300 employees, including counselors, coaches and food
service workers, will likely be laid off in the next few weeks, and 400
students are expected to leave next year.
Critics have said Democrats are growing further out of touch with issues important to Americans.
As teachers air their grievances, they can rest easy knowing Kamala
Harris is handing public schools $20 billion, not to address those
issues, but to make their school buses “climate friendly.”
