A budget is an estimate of income and expenditure for a specific future time, usually compiled and revised on a periodic basis. Budgetary changes tend to occur often due to the necessity of strengthening some areas more than the other ones. Therefore, the article “Trump threatens to cut funding if schools do not fully reopen” posted in The New York Times reflects upon the upcoming budgetary amendments to occur in the nearest future. This paper aims to explain the issue presented in the source and identify the most affected sides.
The spread of COVID-19 has significantly impacted the U.S. economics. Therefore, many spheres were subjected to re-budgeting for the past six months, and the president decided to sustain the current economic condition by imposing some amendments. “Trump threatens to cut funding if schools do not fully reopen” demonstrates the issue of public schools reopening this fall. The president’s arrangement incorporates about $ 2 trillion in pieces to government disability projects and understudy credit activities (Baker et al., 2020). The federal funding will be cut if the schools do not resume classes in person.
On July 8, Donald Trump stated that the colleges, universities, and schools are to be open by September, and he expressed no concern about the coronavirus and its health implication after reopening. The opponents state that Trump has “no control over about 90 percent of school district budgets, which are generally financed by local property and sales taxes” (Baker et al., 2020, para. 14). Trump refers to his European colleague who accepted such measures, as wearing masks and reducing the class sizes, to open the educational sites. Up until this point, there has been little proof that the opening of schools in Europe has prompted far reaching coronavirus cases. However, the president is chief to make this decision, which is likely to affect many people.
If the budget is cut, a lot of people are to be affected by this amendment. The first risk group is the schoolteachers who are exposed to being fired. The outbreak has already caused some repercussions on university, college, and school staff. According to the source, the percentage of dismissals has never been this high, and “the nation’s public schools face severe state budget cuts and mass layoffs, even as children’s academic and social support needs grow” (Baker et al., 2020, para. 18). The teachers and professors are fired due to the lack of financial resources, which is why Trump wants the educational institutions to be reopened (Darville, 2020). Moreover, students may be impacted by such a change. The pandemic has not been overcome yet, and it exposes thousands of teenagers to catching an infection.
However, this budgetary amendment may benefit those working in other areas as they would receive extra funding for their projects and missions. By cutting the schools’ budgets, Trump will be able to invest more in the Veteran Affairs department, which will bring about the benefits of using healthcare services for veterans. Moreover, NASA’s money will be spent to launch a mission to the Moon and other astrophysics projects (Darville, 2020). The other area that will benefit is the Treasury Department. According to Mayes et al. (2020), “total department funding would remain relatively flat and includes multiple investments aimed at modernizing the Internal Revenue Service” (para. 20). Furthermore, another sector that would benefit from extra investments is the Department of Defense. The source states that this money will be used to create a hypersonic weapon, artificial intelligence, and other weaponry.
The New York Times is a credible source as it suggests the latest news; therefore, the article’s relevance cannot be doubted. Moreover, the online newspaper offers different articles related to the topic drawing new arguments and different points of view. Furthermore, there is a need to state that not only does the press investigate the economic field and the specific country’s state, but it also discovers the worldwide issues and their interrelations.
To my mind, this topic is quite relevant at the moment due to the massive financial losses the U.S. suffered during the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, resources should be distributed sensibly, and all the governmental and private institutions should be reopened as soon as possible to sustain the country’s economy (Mayes et al., 2020). I believe that offline classes must be resumed more quickly to balance the U.S. economy. Moreover, online studying is not efficient, as it cannot substitute offline courses. Many parents, doctors, and educators complain that the prolonged shutdown outweighs the risk of a virus.
All things considered, it seems reasonable to state that if Trump cuts the schools’ budgets, there will be a significant risk of unemployment. On the other hand, some areas as defense department, NASA, and others will receive extra funding and will be developed more. The whole situation is still unstable because of the pandemic, which is supposed to have a second wave in autumn. Therefore, school funding cuts are yet to be resolved in the nearest future.
References
Baker, P., Green, E., & Weiland, N. (2020). Trump threatens to cut funding if schools do not fully reopen. The New York Times.
Darville, S. (2020). Reopening schools is way harder than it should be. The New York Times.
Mayes, R., Liberto, J., & Paletta, D. (2020). What Trump proposed in his 2021 budget. Washington Post.