The Trump Administration, in a effort to support its political agenda of getting things “back to normal,” announced today that colleges could either teach classes in a physical classroom this fall or lose gobs of money by not having their international students be able to stay on their campuses.

You can read about it at the NBC News article, U.S. says foreign students may have to leave if their school goes online-only.

Next, it’s a safe bet they will try to use money in the next federal stimulus package as a cudgel against schools to demand that they fully open, too.

You can bet it’s not a coincidence that these next two announcements also came out today:

Listen, I’m fine with opening up schools safely if states get the infection rate down, districts get money to provide PPE and hired additional custodians and school nurses, and students come to physical school part-time to maintain social distancing guidelines. And I’m sixty years-old – not in the highest risk group, but getting close.

But I hope reopening decisions are made based on science, and not political calculations designed to help President Trump’s re-election campaign.