Owens: Under President Trump, We’re Ending CCP Infiltration of American Education
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Education and Workforce Committee Vice Chair Burgess Owens (UT-04) joined House floor debate on three bills to deter foreign adversaries in America’s education system, H.R. 1069, the Promoting Responsible Oversight To Eliminate Communist Teachings for (PROTECT) Our Kids Act; H.R. 1005, the Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems (CLASS) Act; and H.R. 1049, the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act.
Click here or above to watch.
“For far too long, American education has been undermined from within by actors who have taken advantage of our free and open society to advance the nefarious, anti-freedom objectives of the Chinese Communist Party.
“Under the veneer of cultural and educational exchange, the CCP and its operatives have restricted free speech, monitored Chinese students and faculty, and served as intelligence-gathering conduits on emerging American technologies.
“These soft-power tactics are part of a broader strategy to cultivate networks of communist influence within the very institutions responsible for shaping the next generation of patriotic Americans.
“And these subversive efforts are not limited to our universities. The CCP has reached even into elementary classrooms, working to cultivate favorable attitudes toward the Chinese Communist Party among young American students.
“With passage of the PROTECT Our Kids Act, schools that refuse to confront this reality will no longer be eligible for federal funds. Full stop. The message to education administrators who do not understand the concept of American patriotism is straightforward and simple: this behavior will not be tolerated—and it will no longer be subsidized by the American taxpayer.
“Under this Republican majority and this Trump Administration, American education will be protected and renewed. Our classrooms will return to their rightful purpose: teaching and preserving our great American values.”
###