In a seeming change of heart, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said if the nation doesn’t reopen its schools, the economy will be significantly hurt. This comes just four days after the senator tweeted saying schools should reopen only after the federal government gives them more funding — which would greatly delay reopenings and in his own words, hurt the economy.

Schumer tweeted on August 3 that if we want schools to reopen and teachers and students to be safe, “we need MORE federal funding for EVERY school.”

Republicans and Democrats are in heated negotiations on Capitol Hill about what this school relief bill and stimulus will look like — and per usual the talks are not reaching solutions quickly.

Just yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said the talks are delayed as the Democrats and Republicans “are very far apart — it’s most unfortunate.”

Schumer himself said “we are very disappointed in the meeting…They were unwilling to meet in the middle,” as reported by Fox 59.

Yet, Schumer said today we must reopen our schools to avoid serious economic consequences. The comments can be seen in the below video starting at 4:41.

“What is one of the biggest problems facing us in the next month,” Schumer asked. “Schools. Opening up the schools safely.”

Schumer explained the impact on teachers and the economy. “You’re going to hurt the economy significantly because lots of people can’t go to work,” he said in today’s news conference.

President Donald Trump has been advocating for the safe reopening of schools for weeks, citing the economic and educational consequences our nation and students will face if we continue to wait for Congress to reach an agreement.

If Schumer sees the grave consequences of not reopening as well as how slow talks are going, what is he waiting for?