During a House Education Committee hearing last week, Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) promoted a bill aimed at stopping China's influence in US education.
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NewsTranscript
00:00To the consideration of the bill H.R. 6816 for amendment.
00:07The bill was circulated in advance and printed copies are available.
00:10The clerk shall designate the bill.
00:14H.R. 6816, a bill to prohibit the availability of federal education funds for elementary and
00:20secondary schools that receive direct or indirect support from the government of the People's Republic of China.
00:26Without objection, the bill will be considered as read and open for amendment at any point,
00:31and any amendment offered shall be considered as read.
00:35Does anyone seek to be recognized?
00:38Mr. Moran, for what purpose do you seek recognition?
00:41Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk titled H.6816 underscore ANS.
00:48The clerk shall designate the amendment in the nature of a substitute.
00:52Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 6816 offered by Mr. Moran of Texas.
00:57Identifier H6816 underscore ANS.
01:00Without objection, the amendment shall be considered original text for purposes of further amendment.
01:06The nature of a substitute has already been distributed.
01:09I now recognize Congressman Moran for five minutes to explain the amendment in the nature of a substitute.
01:16Thank you, Chairwoman Fox.
01:17Madam Chairwoman, I am offering an amendment in the nature of a substitute for H.R. 6816,
01:22the Promoting Responsible Oversight to Eliminate Communist Teachings for Our Kids Act, or the Protect Our Kids Act.
01:30H.R. 6816 will prohibit federal funding for any K through 12 school that hosts a Confucius classroom or
01:37receives financial support from related entities.
01:41In past years, we've seen a rise in CCP Confucius institutes on college campuses across this company.
01:47Disguised as institutes that teach Chinese language and culture,
01:51these CCP funded institutes spewed propaganda to college students.
01:57Now the CCP has attempted to expand its reach into the classrooms of our children.
02:02Confucius classrooms, which are similar to Confucius institutes, are a direct threat to our national security and
02:09have the potential to compromise both our educational systems and military capabilities.
02:15Between 2008 and 2017, Confucius classrooms increased to nearly 1,000 worldwide,
02:22including 500 within American schools.
02:25This statistic alone reveals the desire of China to infiltrate our classrooms and influence our kids.
02:33Confucius classrooms hinder academic integrity by requiring teachers to omit certain parts of Chinese history that are embarrassing to them,
02:40such as history about Tibet and Taiwan and Tiananmen Square.
02:44By prohibiting federal funding to schools that host Confucius classrooms or
02:49receive financial support from CCP affiliated entities,
02:53the Protect Our Kids Act ensures that our children receive an unbiased education,
02:59focused on American values, and free from the undue influence of the CCP.
03:04It is crucial that we pass this legislation to protect our kids from external manipulation and
03:09to preserve the integrity of our educational institutions.
03:14Our children's schools should be places of learning and growth, free from foreign propaganda,
03:19especially foreign entities that seek to suppress truth and rewrite history.
03:25The Chinese Communist Party's involvement in our educational system poses a dangerous long-term threat to our values and our national security.
03:33The CCP seeks to teach our children biased, unprincipled, and
03:37damaging curriculum veiled under the guise of, quote, cultural studies,
03:43and promoted only because it comes with money for the school districts.
03:48As a father of four, I know just how critical it is that our children receive a quality education and
03:53a supportive, balanced, and truthful environment.
03:57I firmly believe this legislation will safeguard the future of students across the country.
04:01In a day and age when young minds can easily be manipulated,
04:05the Protect Our Kids Act will immediately address the need to safeguard our children
04:11from targeted CCP propaganda and make certain that they are protected from foreign educational interference.
04:18We must ensure our children can learn in an environment that instills a sense of duty,
04:23self-discipline, and integrity that aligns with our nation's values and
04:26promotes success in and out of the classroom, and importantly, again, is rooted in truth.
04:32Defending our precious children is a top priority for us in Congress, and
04:36now is the time to protect our students and the future of our nation.
04:40I urge my colleagues to support the Protect Our Kids Act.
04:45With that, I yield back.
04:47The gentleman yields back.
04:49Is there any member, Ms. Bonamici, you're recognized for five minutes.
04:53Thank you, Madam Chair.
04:54I move to strike the last word and speak in opposition to HR 6816 and
05:00the amendment in the nature of the substitute.
05:02You're recognized for five minutes.
05:03Thank you, Madam Chair.
05:04Elementary and secondary schools across the nation have been working hard to
05:08eliminate gaps left by the pandemic and support student learning.
05:12We should be considering bills that provide children and
05:15educators with the tools they need to learn safely and teach safely in our schools.
05:20But instead, this bill fuels culture wars and fixates on problems that do not exist.
05:26The Protect Our Kids Act attempts to put a full body cast on a paper cut.
05:30It's an overly burdensome requirement and
05:33poses ambiguous requirements with harsh penalties.
05:37The majority has failed to provide data and
05:39evidence that proves that HR 6816 is necessary.
05:43My Democratic colleagues and I remain committed to ensuring elementary and
05:46secondary schools have resources to safeguard classrooms from undue foreign
05:50influence.
05:51This bill is a solution in search of a problem.
05:54There's no independently verified evidence
05:58that the Chinese government is infiltrating our elementary and secondary schools.
06:02In fact, the number of Confucius classrooms still active in the United States
06:08has decreased significantly and appears to be no more than 16.
06:11As of 2023, 111 of them closed.
06:16And according to a GAO report in the last fall,
06:21the headline is nearly all US Confucius Institutes closed.
06:26So I don't know why we're spending time doing this today.
06:29And interestingly, when I was in the state legislature,
06:31the biggest proponent of Confucius Institutes and
06:35Mandarin programs was a Republican.
06:38So this bill is named Protect Our Kids Act.
06:41And I wanna point out that according to Every Town for Gun Safety,
06:44there have been 107 instances of gunfire on school grounds to date just in 2024,
06:51resulting in 29 deaths.
06:53Guns are a much bigger threat to American school children than Chinese language
06:58programs and cultural exchange.
07:00Yet the majority remains unwilling to address the issue of firearms in our
07:04schools or gun violence and the need to prevent it.
07:07Also, we must be careful and not take action that could be perceived as
07:10targeting Chinese affiliated programs and individuals,
07:14something that this bill does not take care of.
07:17We've seen the result of racial profiling in higher education,
07:21including a case in which an MIT faculty member was wrongfully accused,
07:26seriously damaging his career.
07:28This sort of targeting can easily lead to harmful consequences rooted in xenophobia
07:33for innocent faculty members.
07:35Anti-Asian hate has no place in our elementary and secondary schools,
07:39in higher institutes of higher education, or in our country.
07:43We must fight against unwarranted panic and suspicion among school personnel,
07:47parents, and communities that result in increased discrimination against students
07:51and educators of Asian descent.
07:54Since the start of the COVID pandemic, Stop AAPI Hate has received notice of
07:59more than 12,000 incidents of hate driven by anti-Asian scapegoating.
08:05The work that we do here should fight against such act,
08:08rather than potentially adding fuel to the fire.
08:11Our schools are not safer when we discriminate.
08:14HR 6816 is a misuse of the committee's time, and I urge my colleagues to oppose
08:19this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
08:23Does any other member wish to speak on the amendment and the nature of a substitute?