Joe Biden’s administration waded into the Florida coronavirus fight between Gov. Ron DeSantis and local school districts on Friday, offering to pay the salaries of teachers in school districts defunded by the Florida governor.

DeSantis has threatened to pull state funding from districts that mandate masks or coronavirus vaccines, even though Florida is in the midst of a massive surge of coronavirus cases. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a letter that he was “deeply concerned” by DeSantis’ policies, writing: “If FLDOE does not wish to pursue such an approach, the Department will continue to work directly with the school districts and educators that serve Florida’s students.”

A spokesperson for DeSantis pushed back, writing that the White House wanted to fund “the salaries of superintendents and elected politicians, who don’t believe that parents have a right to choose what’s best for their children, than on Florida’s students.”