House Republicans are Protecting America’s Classrooms from Foreign Influence

WASHINGTON - Speaker Johnson issued the following statement after the House passed three commonsense measures this week - the PROTECT Our Kids Act, the TRACE Act, and the CLASS Act - to increase transparency in America's schools and protect students from adversarial foreign influence and propaganda.

"This week's House passage of the PROTECT Our Kids Act, the TRACE Act, and the CLASS Act are victories for America's parents, students, education system, and our national security. We will not allow foreign nations or adversaries - particularly the Chinese Communist Party - to infiltrate U.S. schools to fund and influence what American students learn," Speaker Johnson said. "These three important measures improve transparency, strengthen parental rights, and ensure America's classrooms remain free from harmful foreign propaganda. House Republicans will continue acting decisively to protect America's next generation and preserve the integrity of our education system."

"Authoritarian regimes around the world, like the Chinese Communist Party, are trying to use lucrative financial ties with schools to undermine American values and interests. Confucius Classrooms are a prime example of how foreign-funded programs can shape curricula and exert influence in our K-12 classrooms," House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Walberg said. "I am pleased to see my colleagues recognize the need to protect our students and increase transparency when it comes to foreign funding in education. American schools should teach critical thinking-not enemy propaganda."

This Week's House Adopted Legislation to Protect America's Classrooms:

H.R. 1005 - Combatting the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems (CLASS) Act (Sponsored by Rep. David Joyce): Prohibits America's K-12 public schools from accepting funds or entering contracts with the Chinese Communist Party, including individuals or entities with ties to the CCP, and requires U.S. schools to notify the Department of Education of any accepted foreign funds or contracts.

H.R. 1069 - Promoting Responsible Oversight To Eliminate Communist Teachings for Our Kids (PROTECT Our Kids) Act (Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Hern): Prohibits federal funding through the Department of Education for any American school which continues to host a Confucius Classroom, which are Chinese language and cultural learning centers in U.S. elementary and secondary schools that are funded or otherwise supported by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

H.R. 1049 - Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act (Sponsored by Rep. Aaron Bean): Enhances the rights of parents to know how foreign funding is impacting their child's classroom and enforces strict reporting requirements to increase transparency and keep foreign nations and our adversaries from influencing America's youth.

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