More than 160 House Democrats voted against a pair of bills Thursday aimed at keeping foreign influence out of U.S. schools.<\/p>\n
Both pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan support, though Democrats’ top ranks opposed each one.<\/p>\n
‘We just want to educate our children, focus on reading, writing and arithmetic, developing a holistic child, giving the ability to them to think critically,’ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital when asked about the pushback.<\/p>\n
‘We’re not going to be lectured by a group of Republicans who are dismantling the Department of Education in real-time. Literally 90% of the Department of Education as it existed last year is now gone.’<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He accused Republicans of ‘attacking public education just like they’re attacking public health and attacking public safety.’<\/p>\n
One of the two bills was led by House GOP Policy Committee Chairman Kevin Hern, R-Okla., and would block federal funds from elementary and secondary schools that have programs, cultural exchanges or other class-related activities that get dollars from the Chinese government.<\/p>\n
It would also block federal funds from schools that either directly or indirectly get any kind of support from entities or people related to the Chinese government.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
That bill passed 247\u2013166, with 33 Democrats in favor and 166 against.<\/p>\n
The second piece of legislation, led by Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., would require every public elementary and secondary school to notify parents that they have a right to request information about any ‘foreign influence’ in their child\u2019s school.<\/p>\n
The notification would have to come via the school’s local education agency (LEA), bodies such as school boards that have administrative control over that and other schools in the area.<\/p>\n
The second bill passed 247\u2013164, with 33 Democrats in favor and 164 against.<\/p>\n
Republicans argued these were commonsense bills aimed at keeping malign foreign influence out of U.S. schools.<\/p>\n
But Democrats criticized both during debate on the House floor.<\/p>\n
‘The bill gives no guidance on what acting directly or indirectly on behalf of means, or how you are supposed to know and how a parent’s contribution to a school program should be evaluated,’ Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., said. ‘And really, are you supposed to scrutinize all parents’ contributions or just those from parents of Chinese American students?’<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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