[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 202 (Wednesday, December 3, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H5007-H5010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRANSPARENCY IN REPORTING OF ADVERSARIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION ACT
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, Pursuant to House Resolution 916, I call up
the bill (H.R. 1049) to ensure that parents are aware of foreign
influence in their child's public school, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 916, the
[[Page H5008]]
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on
Education and Workforce, printed in the bill, is adopted and the bill,
as amended, is considered read.
The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:
H.R. 1049
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Transparency in Reporting of
Adversarial Contributions to Education Act'' or the ``TRACE
Act''.
SEC. 2. PARENTS' RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT FOREIGN INFLUENCE.
(a) In General.--Subpart 2 of part F of title VIII of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7901 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 8549D. PARENTS' RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT FOREIGN INFLUENCE.
``(a) In General.--As a condition of receiving funds under
this Act, a local educational agency shall ensure that each
elementary school and each secondary school served by such
agency provides to each parent of a child attending the
school, at a minimum--
``(1) the right (in a manner consistent with copyright law)
to review, and make copies of free of cost, at least every
four weeks and not later than 30 days after submission of a
written request by the parent, any curricular material or
professional development material used at the school that was
purchased, or otherwise obtained, using funds received from
the government of a foreign country or a foreign entity of
concern;
``(2) the right to know, by written response provided not
later than 30 days after submission of a written request by
the parent, how many personnel of the school are compensated,
in whole or in part, using funds received from the government
of a foreign country or a foreign entity of concern; and
``(3) the right to know, by written response provided not
later than 30 days after submission of a written request by
the parent, of--
``(A) any donation received by the school or local
educational agency from a foreign country or a foreign entity
of concern;
``(B) any agreement in writing (such as a contract or
memorandum of understanding) between the school or local
educational agency and a foreign country or a foreign entity
of concern; and
``(C) any financial transaction between the school or local
educational agency and a foreign country or a foreign entity
of concern.
``(b) Donations, Agreements, and Financial Transactions.--
The information described in subsection (a)(3) shall include,
at minimum, the following:
``(1) The name of the foreign country or foreign entity of
concern.
``(2) In any case in which funds were received by the
school or local educational agency from a foreign country or
a foreign entity of concern--
``(A) the amount of such funds; and
``(B) any terms or conditions applicable to the receipt of
such funds.
``(c) Notice of Rights.--At the beginning of each school
year, a local educational agency receiving funds under this
Act shall ensure that each elementary school and each
secondary school served by such agency posts on a publicly
accessible website of the school or, if the school does not
operate a website, widely disseminates to the public, a
summary notice of the rights of parents described in
subsections (a) and (b).
``(d) Notification of Requirements.--At the beginning of
each school year, the Secretary shall notify State
educational agencies about the requirements of this section.
As a condition of receiving funds under this Act, State
educational agencies shall, at the beginning of each school
year, notify local educational agencies of the requirements
of this section.
``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `foreign country' means a foreign country or
a dependent territory or possession of a foreign country.
Such term does not include any of the outlying areas.
``(2) The term `foreign entity of concern' has the meaning
given such term in section 10612(a) of the Research and
Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C.
19221(a)).''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in section 2
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 8549C
the following:
``Sec. 8549D. Parents' right to know about foreign influence.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for
1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority
member of the Committee on Education and Workforce or their respective
designees.
The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) and the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Scott) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 1049.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1049.
We need greater transparency in American education. In recent years,
foreign governments have increasingly sought to influence our K-12
schools. It is not for their stated purpose of cultural exchanges or
diplomacy, but to push propaganda.
The Chinese Communist Party, for example, has spent untold sums
across hundreds of schools to indoctrinate or influence thousands of
children. These so-called little red classrooms were sold as
opportunities to teach Chinese language and culture. In reality, they
required teachers to omit discussion of human rights abuses, present
the CCP in a positive light, and rabidly celebrate the regime.
Students in these classrooms rarely learn about events such as the
Tiananmen Square massacre or the ongoing genocide of Uyghur Muslims.
Students don't learn about these despicable crimes because the CCP
doesn't want them to. This one-sided approach extends beyond K-12
classrooms.
While the CCP operates programs in U.S. schools, American educators
are not allowed to expose Chinese students to American culture. The
goal is clear. The Chinese Communist Party wants to control information
and shape young minds.
Over nearly two decades, the CCP has demonstrated a persistent effort
to influence the minds of our children. According to a 2020 State
Department report, many of these classrooms are funded and operated, in
part, by the CCP's United Front Work Department, a known overseas
propaganda and influence operation.
Foreign experience in our schools threatens not only student learning
but also our national security. H.R. 1049, the Transparency in
Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education Act, or the TRACE
Act, by Representatives Aaron Bean and Ryan Mackenzie, addresses this
problem by giving parents the right to review course materials funded
or provided by foreign governments and entities of concern.
Students perform better when parents are involved in their education.
Yet, in recent years, parents have often been silenced or forced to
navigate bureaucratic hurdles just to understand what their children
are learning.
The TRACE Act ensures transparency, strengthens parental rights, and
protects students from foreign indoctrination. I urge my colleagues to
support this legislation and defend the role of families in
safeguarding our children's education.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1049, the
Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education
Act, the TRACE Act. This bill suffers from many of the same
shortcomings in the earlier bill we just discussed. This bill, H.R.
1049, would require schools to allow parents to access certain
information if it was paid for by a foreign entity of concern. It
doesn't say ``China.'' It says ``foreign entity of concern.''
This includes all teachers' and administrators' professional
development material and salary information, as well as the school
districts' contracts and records for all materials purchased from or
paid for by a foreign entity of concern. While this is not currently
required by law, parents now already have access to their children's
records, including their curriculum, under the Protection of Pupil
Rights Amendment, or PPRA.
It is worth noting that there is no evidence that foreign entities of
concern are contributing to public schools at any scale. We have
already noted that there are five Confucius Institutes throughout the
United States, throughout 15,000 school systems.
H.R. 1049 would impose new layers of reporting, auditing, and
bureaucracy on every school district in the Nation. Yet, once again,
this is without allocating a single dollar to support these added
responsibilities.
[[Page H5009]]
For years, my Republican colleagues have warned against unfunded
mandates. They have rightly criticized Federal actions that impose
requirements on States and local communities that cannot afford to
implement those policies.
{time} 1240
Yet, H.R. 1049 is precisely that, another unfunded mandate wrapped
around rhetoric but lacking in substance. At a time when our schools
need smaller class sizes, they need to pay teachers more, and they need
more academic support for students, the last thing they need is a new
stack of new Federal compliance paperwork.
That would include the professional development to inform every
school official what a foreign entity of concern is and where they can
get the most recent list.
Let me underscore the broader point though. At the same time as
congressional Republicans are creating additional bureaucratic hurdles
for K-12, the Trump administration is actively dismantling the
Department of Education.
Who is going to enforce these mandates anyway?
I challenge my colleagues, many of whom privately acknowledge that
abolishing the Department of Education is a mistake, to actually oppose
those actions publicly. Our schools need stability and support, not
disarray and mixed messages.
Mr. Speaker, again, I oppose the bill, and I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I would remind my friend and colleague from
Virginia that the U.S. Department of Education has been in place while
our concerns with foreign influence have been developed and,
ultimately, caused the concerns that we address today. We believe that
what is being done with reshaping how we deal from the Federal level
with our local community schools will, in fact, be more conducive to
the ability for them to deal with key issues of concern such as
national security when we see that as necessary.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Bean), who is a world-class auctioneer and who is unwilling to auction
off our children's future to any malign actor.
Mr. BEAN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Walberg for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, we have all heard the saying: There is no such thing as
a free lunch. It turns out mom and dad were right. Everything comes at
a price, and nothing is free.
Every dollar that flows into American classrooms from foreign
countries comes with strings attached. This is particularly true for
China, whose strategy is to gain a foothold in America's educational
system to steal personal data and to manipulate the material children
are being taught.
Millions of dollars of Chinese funds have flowed into America's K-12
classrooms where students are subject to Chinese Communist Party
propaganda under the guise of Chinese language and culture programming.
In fact, a recent Parents Defending Education investigation found
that 143 schools across 34 States hosted a Confucius classroom or
otherwise had ties to the Chinese Communist Party. But wait, Mr.
Speaker, there is more. Disturbingly, the same investigation found that
the CCP specifically targets schools around 20 U.S. military bases.
China is not the only country making sizeable investments in K-12
classrooms across the country. The Qatar Foundation allocated $30.6
million to various schools around the Nation.
What did they get, Mr. Speaker?
What do you get for $30 million invested in our schools?
It is a clear act of anti-Semitism. Classroom maps where they funded
omitted Israel and instead labeled it Palestine. Following a
congressional hearing last year, New York Public Schools acknowledged
receiving large donations from Italy and South Korea. These blatant
attempts to inject foreign ideologies into our schools undermines the
fundamental purpose of American education. It goes without saying that
we should be teaching American values in American schools.
This is what happens when institutions of learning accept the Trojan
horse of foreign funding. It shouldn't take an act of Congress or a
congressional investigation hearing for parents to know who is funding
their schools.
My bill, H.R. 1049, the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial
Contributions to Education Act, or let's just call it the TRACE Act,
solidifies the rights of parents to know how foreign influence may be
impacting their child's classroom and stops foreign nations from
reaching America's youth.
Specifically, the TRACE Act requires that as a condition of receiving
Federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, public
schools would be required to provide each parent the right to review
any curricular material provided or purchased with funds from a foreign
government or foreign entity of concern.
The bill also guarantees parents the right to know how many personnel
at their child's school are being compensated by foreign sources or any
donation of foreign transactions between the school and a foreign
entity.
The dangers of foreign influence in American K-12 schools cannot be
overstated. They threaten our national security, compromise our
geopolitical interests, and erode our academic freedom.
American schools are not for sale, and they are for education, not
espionage. We cannot allow our students, the future of our great
Nation, to be corrupted by foreign adversaries who are systematically
and aggressively attempting to influence our Nation's K-12 schools.
Chairman Walberg has been a warrior on this issue to make sure that
American schools remain American. I thank Congressman Mackenzie for his
partnership on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 1049, the
Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education
Act, and let's give parents the right to know just who is funding their
kids' school.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Representative Bean for introducing this
important legislation. Again, anytime we have legislation that makes a
foundational principle, an actual fact, that we support parents having
transparency about what is going on in their schools, for anything, it
is important as a discussion and ultimately important to make sure in
law that is put into motion in every way possible.
It is also a fact that we look at the malign influence that comes
from the CCP, yes, but there are other entities equally determined to
undermine America, and they are starting in its educational system.
Because if you control the minds of young people and you shape their
teachers even before that, so when they enter the classroom, even if it
isn't a Confucius classroom, those teachers have been impacted in what
they point out about some of these malign actors in the world, even if
it puts down some of their concerns, is a problem for the United
States.
If there is complete transparency, where we talk about all of the
entities with truth, then that is fine. That is America. We can take
it, having our students know about the Chinese Communist Party and how
they have taken Uyghur Muslims and committed genocide on them for
years. If we can talk about the Tiananmen Square massacre that went on,
that is not a problem. However, that is not what these malign actors
want. They want to cover that over.
Mr. Speaker, there is significant evidence of ongoing threats to U.S.
schools from malign actors. They may change names and they may change
approaches, but they are there. We wouldn't have seen the type of
demonstrations and attacks on our Jewish students on college campuses
all over this country if there weren't malign actors changing the focus
of our students' minds on key issues.
China strategically deployed and expanded their Confucius classrooms
rapidly going from only a few in 2008 to over 1,000 worldwide by 2019.
More than 500 American K-12 schools have hosted Confucius classrooms. A
2023 Defending Education report identified 143 schools across 34 States
with Chinese ties, with at least 7 still active as of this publication.
The report also found that many of these schools are located near
military bases.
[[Page H5010]]
{time} 1250
My Democrat colleagues are correct that the known number of Confucius
classrooms has declined after attention from media and advocacy groups
increased, including from Congress, but that doesn't prove the CCP
threat is gone.
There are 500 Chinese Communist Party-affiliated Chinese nationals--I
say ``affiliated'' because they are required when coming over to work
in a new production center in my district that will be opened up very
soon by a major corporation. These 500 employees have signed a
contractual agreement with the Chinese Communist Party to provide any
information back to China that they come up with. Who knows what type
of influence will take place within 15 minutes of a National Guard base
and a key drone wing of the United States military.
These are concerns that we ought to have, but this doesn't prove that
we have done enough yet. I think what we have seen causes us to be
concerned about what is taking place. It may be that the CCP has found
more covert ways to influence our schools. Schools may still be making
contracts with CCP entities. If not, great. We will find that out, just
without easily identifiable keywords such as ``Confucius,'' but what
else will take place. That is why we need these bills.
Under these bills, schools must avoid contracting with the CCP or its
agents. Schools must report gifts from or contracts with foreign
governments, and resources must be available for parents to review.
We know this can go on right now. We know contracts are undertaken
with all of our school districts now. We know that the lawyers on staff
have means by which to make sure that the appropriate t's are crossed
and i's are dotted. They can follow the law. We must do that.
Advocacy groups, such as Defending Education, have done tremendous
work to ensure we know about the CCP's influence, but it shouldn't take
a third-party nonprofit to tell us who is teaching our children.
The CCP remains a threat to American interests. I have no doubt that
they would still like to indoctrinate American children and teachers,
and that is why we must be vigilant and pass these bills.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr.
Moolenaar), who is also the chairman of the Select Committee on the
CCP.
Mr. MOOLENAAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for this time.
China is our Nation's greatest adversary, and it seeks to harm our
country on a daily basis. It thrives in the shadows. It uses fentanyl
precursors, predatory trade practices, and cyberattacks to hurt us.
China also uses informational warfare, and it would love to influence
what American students learn in classrooms, from kindergarten through
college.
The CCP uses our free and open society against us, bankrolling civil
organizations with nice-sounding names to sponsor exchange programs and
curriculums that hide the truth about China.
Earlier this year, my committee highlighted how Montgomery County in
Maryland has sent 31 students to China on a trip paid for by the
People's Republic of China. That is just one example of why the
legislation the House is considering this week is urgently needed.
The CCP does not want Americans to learn about the horrific Cultural
Revolution in their history classes. It does not want young Americans
to know that it slaughtered innocent students at Tiananmen Square, nor
does it want students to learn about the CCP's ongoing Uyghur genocide
and the slave labor that affects the supply chains of clothes and other
products they use every day.
Parents may think the Chinese Communist Party isn't interested in
what their kids are learning, but the CCP wants to influence every
American.
These bills will empower parents, protect students from Chinese
propaganda, and shine a light on how China tries to influence our
education system.
I thank my colleagues for their work on this legislation and my good
friend Chairman Walberg from Michigan for moving the bills through the
committee and bringing them to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the bills.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Speaker, if there was real evidence of influence, I think we
would have heard specifically what that evidence is. We haven't.
My colleagues keep talking about China, about the Confucius
Institute. At last count, there were only five active programs in
15,000 school divisions. There used to be more. There are only about
five now.
This bill is going to be hard to manage. It is difficult, if not
impossible, to easily access the most recent list of foreign entities
of concern.
As we have pointed out, this bill doesn't talk about China. It talks
about foreign entities of concern. That list can change without notice.
In fact, the most recent list from the Department of State has 91
listings, 12 added since Labor Day of this year. Good luck to those
15,000 superintendents who have to keep up with that list, with the
added problem that the Departments of Energy and the Treasury also keep
separate lists. Those 15,000 superintendents have to keep up with those
lists, too.
At its core, this is just another unfunded mandate, where you have to
train 15,000 superintendents and unlimited numbers of principals so
they will know what a foreign entity of concern is and how to deal with
it with this new legislation. It burdens our already overstretched
schools with new reporting requirements, new paperwork, and new
bureaucratic hurdles, all without adding a single dollar to help them
meet their obligations. Our educators deserve meaningful support, not
legislative gestures that create more problems than they solve.
For these reasons, I will be voting ``no'' and urge my colleagues to
reject this measure and refocus our efforts on policies that will
actually strengthen our public schools.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
H.R. 1049, the TRACE Act, sends a clear message: Parents have a right
to know what their children are learning, especially when curricula are
funded by authoritarian regimes.
Foreign influence in classrooms not only undermines our cherished
American values but also our national security. The TRACE Act allows
parents to review foreign-funded materials and raise concerns when
needed. Concerned parents should not be labeled as terrorists, domestic
or otherwise, or treated like criminals when they stand up for their
children.
By empowering parents, we strengthen student outcomes and protect our
schools, which should be in the business of public service to our
homes, our families, our children, and our parents.
I urge my colleagues to support the TRACE Act and stand with families
in defending the integrity of American education from foreign tyranny.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 916, the previous question is ordered on
the bill, as amended.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
____________________