Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 916, I call up the bill (H.R. 1005) to prohibit elementary and secondary schools from accepting funds from or entering into contracts with the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. WALBERG. 1005.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1005.

For much of the 20th century, the United States bravely confronted the threat of communism worldwide.

As the Soviet Union oppressed its own people and extended its influence abroad, countless Americans dedicated their lives to stopping the spread of repressive ideology.

In 1987, President Reagan famously called on Secretary Gorbachev to ``tear down this wall'' at the Brandenburg Gate. A few short years later, the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union collapsed, and democracy gained ground across the globe.

In the years that followed, democracy and Western values flourished, but authoritarian regimes like the Chinese Communist Party have chosen repression over freedom, indoctrinating their citizens to embrace socialism and communism, ideals fundamentally opposed to American values of liberty, freedom, and self-determination.

Now, we are seeing those same authoritarian efforts reach into our classrooms. While some are now closed, the CCP established Confucius Institutes on college campuses and Confucius classrooms in K-12 schools, funding programs with untold dollars. Marketed as cultural exchanges to teach Chinese language and culture, these classrooms are in reality beachheads in the war for young minds.

That is why I am proud to support H.R. 1005, the Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems, known as the CLASS Act, from Representative David Joyce and Representative Michael Rulli. It is an important piece of legislation requiring schools to disclose any funding or contracts received from foreign entities above a nominal threshold.

For too long, schools have allowed foreign adversaries to funnel propaganda into classrooms, propaganda that rewrites history and undermines American values. These programs are funded and directed by the CCP's propaganda arm, targeting children for indoctrination.

No lesson from an authoritarian regime comes without strings attached. The CCP seeks to shape American students' views of communism and tyranny, softening opinions toward authoritarianism, and potentially fostering replication of those same ideas here.

Already, we see these influences on college campuses. Instead of free speech and open debate, we see censorship. Instead of independent thought, we see indoctrination.

This is why we must pass the CLASS Act. Confucius classrooms and similar programs pose real risks to both national and academic security while promoting authoritarianism over freedom and democracy.

As the saying goes, sunlight is the best disinfectant. Greater transparency in education will reveal where school funds come from and whether foreign adversaries are exploiting financial ties to influence students.

By requiring disclosure, we protect American values, strengthen national security, and ensure our children learn what is right, not what our adversaries dictate.

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Mr. WALBERG. I say that as a gentleman from Michigan.

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Mr. WALBERG. As a Member coming from the Wolverine State, I congratulate him on Saturday's victory.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1005, the CLASS Act, is a critical step in limiting foreign influence in our classrooms. Too often, foreign funding comes with strings attached--maybe in every case--especially when those dollars come from adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.

Students deserve strong education without indoctrination. I would hope my esteemed colleagues on the other side of the aisle would agree with me on that. Cultural exchange is valuable, but it should never mean sitting through lessons created by the CCP propagandists attempting to rewrite history and change our minds.

Our classrooms are becoming front lines in a battle of ideas, and the CLASS Act provides the transparency needed to protect our students and uphold American values. Students deserve better than indoctrination. That is why we must pass the CLASS Act, send it to the Senate, and, ultimately, to the President's desk, defending both our children and our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representatives Joyce and Rulli, for their clear-eyed attention to this important and credible concern, and I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

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