[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 27, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5079-S5080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Biden Administration

  Mr. President, on a different topic, last week, the Department of 
Education officially backed away from prioritizing radical and divisive 
propaganda in applications for a Federal program for civics and 
American history education. Score one for sanity and for American 
history.
  The Department's original proposed priorities for program 
applications had

[[Page S5080]]

focused on aspects of so-called critical race theory and cited such 
dubious items as the 1619 Project. The notice the Department of 
Education released last week dropped this discussion and indicated that 
the Department would not give a competitive advantage to applications 
that reflect critical race theory.
  The bipartisan program in question was established to strengthen 
American history and civics education, which is in a bad way. Just 15 
percent of eighth graders demonstrate proficiency in American history, 
according to the most recent National Assessment of Educational 
Progress results. A 2019 survey found that just 4 in 10 American adults 
were capable of passing a U.S. citizenship test. Yet the Biden 
administration was apparently ready to compound this problem by pushing 
ideas rooted in critical race theory--a radical, leftist ideology.
  As it is currently being pushed, critical race theory advances the 
idea that America is not merely flawed but inherently and 
systematically evil and that fixing this problem requires tearing down 
our institutions.
  I don't need to tell anyone that the United States has an imperfect 
history, and any genuine approach to American history has to examine 
those times when we failed to live up to our ideals as well as those 
times when we have succeeded. But while there are sins in our past that 
we cannot ignore, like the great sins of slavery and segregation, there 
is also greatness.
  Our Founders did something that was pretty much unprecedented in the 
history of the world. They sat down and built a country based not on 
who conquered whom but on a set of principles, on a shared belief in 
liberty and unalienable human rights. While we haven't always lived up 
to those beliefs, we have never stopped trying, and we continue to hold 
out the promise of liberty not only to our country but to the whole 
world. There is a reason individuals around the globe have fled to 
these shores for the promise of freedom and have found in the United 
States the refuge they were searching for.
  Critical race theory distorts the reality of American history. It 
sees our failures but none of our successes. More than that, it 
actively misrepresents our history. The 1619 Project, for example, 
advances the totally fabricated claim that a primary motivation for the 
American Revolution was a desire to preserve slavery. That couldn't be 
further from the truth. It is no surprise that leading historians have 
criticized the 1619 Project for its historical distortions and factual 
inaccuracies.
  On top of that, by demonizing the United States, critical race theory 
also invites students to despise our country and ignore the tremendous 
freedoms and blessings that we enjoy. We are incredibly fortunate to 
live in the United States of America, and we let our students down when 
we fail to give them the perspective to see the blessings our country 
provides.
  By dividing the world into oppressors and oppressed, critical race 
theory promotes resentment and victimization. It encourages individuals 
to look at the world through one lens and one lens only and tends to 
reduce individuals to little more than their racial background.
  I am glad that the Department of Education chose not to give 
preference to applicants with a focus on the radical ideas of critical 
race theory. This was good news for America's students, who deserve a 
balanced accounting of our Nation's history, which critical race theory 
does not provide.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be able to complete my 
remarks before the vote starts.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, there is still a lot of reason to be 
concerned. The Department's reversal was cloaked in bureaucratic 
language, leaving room for a future flip-flop by the administration. 
Too many schools around the country are already considering or adopting 
outlandish proposals informed by critical race theory, from a math 
course that suggests that focusing on the right answer in math is 
grounded in racism to materials implying that the nuclear family is 
somehow inherently racist.
  This is a grave disservice to students of all races, and we need to 
make sure that Federal education dollars are going to genuine history 
and civics education and not radical propaganda. We owe all American 
students better than historically inaccurate history lessons.
  I yield the floor.