GOP calls Biden's first 100 days a failure — just 36 days in

The Republican National Committee complained on Thursday that President Joe Biden has not kept his promise to reopen most schools in the first 100 days of his presidency. He has only been on the job for 36 days.

“On the campaign trial [sic], Biden promised to reopen schools within his first 100 days in office,” the party tweeted. “But that is just another promise that President Biden hasn’t kept.”

Hours after the original tweet, the Republican National Committee deleted it and replaced it with one repeating the misleading claim, but removing the bad math and the typo.

“Last year, Biden promised to reopen most of our schools within his first 100 days as President,” the replacement tweet claimed. “But all he has done so far is put special interests ahead of our students.”

Biden said in December that he hoped to reopen the majority of the nation’s schools within the first 100 days of his presidency.

“It should be a national priority to get our kids back into school and keep them in school,” he explained. “If Congress provides the funding, we need to protect students, educators, and staff. If states and cities put strong public health measures in place that we all follow, then my team will work to see that the majority of our schools can be open by the end of my first 100 days.”

Congress has not provided the funding yet and thus far, zero congressional Republicans have backed the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief legislation he requested. Called the American Rescue Plan, it includes billions of dollars to help more safely return to in-person learning and is expected to receive a vote in the House on Friday and in the Senate next month.

Though they now seek to enforce that promise, the same Republican National Committee account derided it just two weeks ago, saying, “Pres. Biden’s goal to reopen schools in 100 days is weak & not backed by science. That’s 500 hours of school missed…500 hours of education that American children can’t get back…500 hours when millions of parents can’t work to provide for their families.”

Biden took office at noon on Jan. 20, just 36 days ago. Math would indicate that he still has 64 days left to keep any promises for his first 100 days.

But this has not stopped Republicans from calling him a failure already.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) scolded White House chief of staff Ron Klain last Thursday on Twitter, writing, “Ron, you promised parents that schools will reopen within 100 days, not within 4 years. #OpenSchoolsNow.”

And America Rising, a GOP political action committee that the Wall Street Journal dubbed “the unofficial research arm of the Republican Party,” didn’t even wait until Biden’s inauguration.

“It’s no surprise that Joe Biden is failing to deliver on his promises after stacking his administration with liberal activists,” they tweeted — on Jan. 11.

This article was updated after the Republican National Committee deleted its original tweet.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.