WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says the issue of safely reopening America's schools is a "national emergency."

He says that if he were president, he'd have the Federal Emergency Management Agency guarantee access to disaster relief for K-12 schools.

Biden says during a campaign event in Wilmington, Delaware, that President Donald Trump "still doesn't have a real plan" to handle the coronavirus pandemic.

The Democrat says "this is an emergency and Donald Trump and his FEMA should treat it as one."

FEMA officials said this week that the agency would no longer pay for cloth face masks and disinfectant in schools.

Biden says that as president, he'd declare the issue of school reopening a national emergency and direct FEMA to authorize access to emergency assistance for K-12 schools.