White House press secretary compares teachers to 'meat packers' and dismisses safety concerns

• White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany showed little sympathy Thursday for teachers expressing concerns over their safety heading into school reopenings as the coronavirus outbreak persists in many areas of the country.
• When asked about teachers going on strike by Fox News' Shannon Bream, McEnany compared them to "meat packers."
• "Look, we believe teachers are essential workers," McEnany said. "The media never stopped working during this pandemic. Our meat packers didn't stop working during this pandemic. Our law enforcement didn't stop working during this pandemic — nor should our teachers, because America's children must come first."
• Bream also asked McEnany about whether President Donald Trump could promise whether the country will have "testing capacity to test kids before they go back to school."
• McEnany didn't answer that part of the question, only saying "our testing is being surged to vulnerable communities, our nursing homes, that has to be the priority."

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany offered little sympathy to America's teachers concerned about their health and those of their students, comparing them to "meat packers" who need to get back to work "because America's children must come first."

"Look, we believe teachers are essential workers," McEnany said during a Fox News appearance on Thursday. "The media never stopped working during this pandemic. Our meat packers didn't stop working during this pandemic. Our law enforcement didn't stop working during this pandemic — nor should our teachers, because America's children must come first."

Meatpacking plants saw some of the worst outbreaks of the coronavirus pandemic in the US, with the close quarters and poor air circulation leading to a much more viral spread than most workplaces.

McEnany was also asked by Fox News host Shannon Bream whether President Donald Trump could promise whether the country will have "testing capacity to test kids before they go back to school."

The press secretary didn't answer the question, only going so far to say "our testing is being surged to vulnerable communities, our nursing homes, that has to be the priority."

McEnany did add a caveat regarding teachers with pre-existing conditions or other factors that would make them more vulnerable to having a severe case of COVID-19.

"The president has been clear, if you're in a vulnerable community and you're a teacher, by all means, don't go back [to work]," she said.

"But those who can go back, should. And we've gotta protect our children, and that means getting them back to school."