[House Report 118-255]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
118th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 118-255
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CRUCIAL COMMUNISM TEACHING ACT
_______
October 25, 2023.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Ms. Foxx, from the Committee on Education and the Workforce, submitted
the following
R E P O R T
together with
MINORITY VIEWS
[To accompany H.R. 5349]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Education and the Workforce, to whom was
referred the bill (H.R. 5349) to develop and disseminate a
civic education curriculum and oral history resources regarding
certain political ideologies, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an
amendment and recommends that the bill as amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Crucial Communism Teaching Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are the following:
(1) To help families, civic institutions, local communities,
local educational agencies, high schools, and State educational
agencies to prepare high school students to be civically
responsible and knowledgeable adults.
(2) To ensure that high school students in the United
States--
(A) learn that communism has led to the deaths of
over 100,000,000 victims worldwide;
(B) understand the dangers of communism and similar
political ideologies; and
(C) understand that 1,500,000,000 people still suffer
under communism.
SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF CIVIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND
ORAL HISTORY RESOURCES.
The independent entity created under section 905(b)(1)(B) of the
FRIENDSHIP Act (40 U.S.C. 8903 note; 107 Stat. 2331 note), also known
as the ``Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation'', shall--
(1) develop a civic education curriculum for high school
students that--
(A) includes a comparative discussion of certain
political ideologies, including communism and
totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of
freedom and democracy that are essential to the
founding of the United States;
(B) is accurate, relevant, and accessible, so as to
promote the understanding of such political ideologies;
and
(C) is compatible with a variety of courses,
including social studies, government, history, and
economics classes;
(2) develop oral history resources that may be used alongside
the curriculum described in paragraph (1) and that include
personal stories, titled ``Portraits in Patriotism'', from
diverse individuals who--
(A) demonstrate civic-minded qualities;
(B) are victims of the political ideologies described
in paragraph (1)(A); and
(C) are able to compare the political ideologies
described in paragraph (1)(A) with the political
ideology of the United States; and
(3) engage with State and local educational leaders to assist
high schools in using the curriculum described in paragraph (1)
and the resources described in paragraph (2).
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
The terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) shall apply to this Act.
PURPOSE
One-fifth of the world's population still lives under
single-party communist regimes such as China, Cuba, North
Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Venezuela.\1\ Yet, studies
consistently reveal that America's high school and college
students do not know basic facts about the history of
communism. To increase awareness of the atrocities of
communism, H.R. 5349, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act,
directs the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) to
develop a civic education curriculum and oral history resources
for high school students to promote understanding of how
communism conflicts with the principles of U.S. democracy.
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\1\https://victimsofcommunism.org/about/https://www.worldbank.org/
en/home.
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COMMITTEE ACTION
118TH CONGRESS
First Session--Hearings
On February 8, 2023, the Committee on Education and the
Workforce held a hearing on ``American Education in Crisis.''
The purpose of the hearing was to examine the state of American
education, including the need to increase transparency and
accountability, to update the education system to serve the
needs of students and families, and to protect and restore the
rights of parents to have a say in their children's education;
issues around civics education were also discussed. Testifying
before the Committee were Ms. Virginia Gentles, Director,
Education Freedom Center, Independent Women's Forum, Arlington,
VA; Dr. Monty Sullivan, President, Louisiana Community and
Technical College System, Baton Rouge, LA; Mr. Scott Pulsipher,
President, Western Governors University, Salt Lake City, UT;
and Mr. Jared Polis, Governor, State of Colorado, Denver, CO.
On July 13, 2023, the Committee's Subcommittee on Higher
Education and Workforce Development held a hearing on
``Exposing the Dangers of the Influence of Foreign Adversaries
on College Campuses.'' The purpose of the hearing was to
discuss the ways in which foreign actors are influencing
institutions of higher education (IHEs), the impacts of this
influence, and potential policy solutions to address these
issues. Testifying before the Subcommittee were Mr. Paul Moore,
J.D., Senior Counsel, Defense of Freedom Institute, Washington,
D.C.; Mr. John C. Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian
Americans Advancing Justice, Washington, D.C.; and Mr. Craig
Singleton, China Program Deputy Director and Senior Fellow,
Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Washington, D.C.
On September 19, 2023, the Committee's Subcommittee on
Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a
hearing on ``Academic Freedom Under Attack: Loosening the CCP's
Grip on America's Classrooms.'' The purpose of the hearing was
to examine the covert influence of foreign governments and
organizations, particularly the Chinese Communist Party, on
U.S. K-12 Schools. Testifying before the Subcommittee were Mr.
Mike Gonzalez, Senior Fellow, Heritage Foundation, Washington,
D.C.; Ms. Gisela Perez Kusakawa (J.D.), Executive Director,
Asian American Scholar Forum, New York, NY; Mrs. Nicole Neily,
President and Founder, Parents Defending Education, Arlington,
VA; and Mr. Ryan Walters, State Superintendent of Public
Instruction, Oklahoma State Department of Education, Oklahoma
City, OK.
Legislative Action
On September 5, 2023, Rep. Salazar (R-FL) introduced H.R.
5349, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act, with Reps. Elise
Stefanik (R-NY), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Carlos Gimenez (R-
FL), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Alexander Mooney (R-WV), Mike Bost
(R-IL), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Earl L.
``Buddy'' Carter (R-GA), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Doug LaMalfa (R-
CA), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Scott
Fitzgerald (R-WI), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Gus M.
Bilirakis (R-FL), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-
NY), David G. Valadao (R-CA), A. Drew Ferguson, IV (R-GA), Lisa
C. McClain (R-MI), C. Scott Franklin (R-FL), Monica De La Cruz
(R-TX), Michael Waltz (R-FL), Lloyd Smucker (R-PA), Richard
McCormick (R-GA), Keith Self (R-TX) as original co-sponsors.
The bill was referred solely to the Committee on Education and
the Workforce. On September 14, 2023, the Committee considered
H.R. 5349 in legislative session and reported it favorably, as
amended, to the House of Representatives by a recorded vote of
33-9.
The Committee considered the following amendments to H.R.
5349:
1. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) offered an Amendment in the
Nature of a Substitute (ANS) that made technical changes. The
amendment was adopted by voice vote.
SUMMARY
Originally introduced in 2021, the Crucial Communism
Teaching Act directs the Victims of Communism Memorial
Foundation (VOC) to develop a civic education curriculum and
oral history resources for high school students to promote
understanding of communism that conflicts with the principles
of U.S. democracy. Rep. Marie Salazar (R-FL) introduced H.R.
5349 on September 5 with 27 original co-sponsors.\2\
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\2\https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/
5349?s=1&r=1&q=%7B%22search%
22%3A%5B%22Crucial%22%2C%22Communism%22%2C%22Teaching%22%2C%22Act%22%
5D%7D.
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COMMITTEE VIEWS
Introduction
Communism has a long, dark history of political
suppression, persecution, and violence. It has led to the
deaths of over 100 million victims worldwide and currently
tramples the human rights of over 1.5 billion people across the
globe. Unfortunately, younger generations of Americans are
increasingly unaware of communism's abuses. H.R. 5349, the
Crucial Communism Teaching Act, makes educational materials
available through the VOC to help educate students about how
communist ideology is contrary to the founding principles of
freedom and democracy in the United States.
Background on communism
One-fifth of the world's population still lives under
single-party communist regimes such as in China, Cuba, North
Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Venezuela.\3\ Regimes such as these
utilize the same tools as previous communist regimes to
maintain state control. For instance, it is estimated that two
million citizens in China, mostly consisting of the Uyghurs and
other ethnic minorities, are being held in Chinese Communist
Party ``re-education'' camps.\4\ Cuba and North Korea also
imprison tens of thousands of citizens in hard labor camps
reminiscent of the Soviet Union's Gulag system.\5\
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\3\https://victimsofcommunism.org/about/; https://
www.worldbank.org/en/home.
\4\https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/24/china/xinjiang-prisons-china-
intl-hnk-dst/index.html.
\5\https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-
rights-practices/cuba/.
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As the VOC has outlined, these totalitarian rulers and
their regimes possess six key characteristics: an official
ideology, a one-party authoritarian state, a monopoly on
violence, control of all information and mass media, a
government-planned and centrally controlled economy, and the
use of a communist party-controlled terroristic security
service. These features are used to exert the level of control
needed to suppress or eliminate any threat to the communist
regime and its totalitarian leadership. Communism seeks to
eliminate individualism, family, and civil society and to
establish state control of society and communal ownership of
property. Since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, creating and
maintaining communist governments has resulted in the deaths of
over 100 million people and the subjugation of hundreds of
millions more.\6\
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\6\https://victimsofcommunism.org/communism-101/.
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Background on young Americans' knowledge of communism
Studies consistently reveal that America's high school and
college students do not know basic facts about the history of
communism. For example, nearly half (47 percent) of Gen Z say
they are unaware that the Chinese Communist Party is
responsible for more deaths than Nazi Germany. Twenty-seven
percent do not know whether China is democratic or communist.
Furthermore, positive attitudes toward communism and socialism
are relatively high, particularly among younger generations.
Twenty-eight percent of Gen Z hold a favorable opinion of the
term ``communism'' compared to just 6 and 3 percent for the
Baby Boomer Generation and the Silent Generation. Eighteen
percent of Gen Z thinks communism is a fairer system than
capitalism and deserves consideration in America, while 31
percent of Gen Z support the gradual elimination of the
capitalist system in favor of a more socialist system.\7\
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\7\https://victimsofcommunism.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/
10.19.20-VOC-YouGov-Survey-on-U.S.-Attitudes-Toward-Socialism-
Communism-and-Collectivism.pdf.
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Background on the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
The VOC is an educational, research, and human rights
nonprofit organization devoted to commemorating the more than
100 million victims of communism around the world and to
pursuing the freedom of those still living under totalitarian
regimes. VOC was authorized unanimously by Congress and signed
into law by President Clinton in 1993. The Foundation's mission
is to educate future generations about the ideology, history,
and legacy of communism while advocating for the freedom of
those still held captive by communist regimes.\8\
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\8\https://victimsofcommunism.org/about/.
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VOC equips teachers through its annual National Seminar for
Middle and High School Educators and with professional
development workshops based on its new digital curriculum,
Communism: A History of Repression, Violence, and Victims. Its
Online Teacher Certification provides 24 hours of professional
development credit for educators who want to effectively teach
their students the history of communism. VOC also holds events
on college campuses, including conferences, film screenings,
lectures, and expert panels in all 50 states to help educate
about communism and socialism. Additionally, VOC raises
awareness through its speaker's bureau, local commissions,
public information campaigns, and digital media campaigns. In
partnership with YouGov, it also publishes the survey ``U.S.
Attitudes Toward Socialism, Communism, and Collectivism'' to
better understand national trends and generational differences
regarding free enterprise, socialism, and basic 20th-century
history.\9\
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\9\https://victimsofcommunism.org/programs/education/.
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Background on H.R. 5349, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act
Originally introduced in 2021, the Crucial Communism
Teaching Act directs the VOC to develop a civic education
curriculum and oral history resources for high school students
to promote understanding of certain political ideologies (e.g.,
communism and totalitarianism) that conflict with principles of
U.S. democracy. Rep. Marie Salazar (R-FL) introduced H.R. 5349
on September 5 with 27 original co-sponsors.\10\
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\10\https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/
5349?s=1&r=1&q=%7B%22search%
22%3A%5B%22Crucial%22%2C%22Communism%22%2C%22Teaching%22%2C%22Act%22%
5D%7D.
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Conclusion
It is imperative that Americans of all generations have a
clear understanding of communism's dangers and abuses. Schools
should also have access to optional resources to help educate
students about communism. H.R. 5349 will ensure that the VOC
creates resources that can help illuminate the dangers of
communism and how it conflicts with the principles of freedom
and democracy.
H.R. 5349, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act
SECTION-BY-SECTION SUMMARY
Section 1. Short title
Names the bill as the ``Crucial Communism Teaching
Act''.
Section 2. Purposes
Establishes the purpose of the Act: to help
prepare high school students to be civically responsible and to
ensure that high school students learn that Communism has led
to the deaths of more than 100,000,000 victims worldwide,
understand the dangers of communism and similar political
ideologies, and understand that 1,500,000,000 people still
suffer under communism.
Section 3. Development and dissemination of civic education curriculum
and oral history resources
Instructs the VOC to develop a civic education
curriculum for high school students that is accurate, relevant,
accessible, and compatible with a variety of courses including
social studies, government, history, and economic classes.
States the curriculum must include a comparative
discussion of certain political ideologies that conflict with
the principles of freedom and democracy.
Instructs the VOC to develop oral history
resources to be used alongside the curriculum with personal
stories, titled ``Portraits in Patriotism,'' from individuals
who demonstrate civic-minded qualities, are victims of such
ideology, and can compare such ideologies with the political
ideology of the United States.
Instructs the VOC to engage with state and local
education leaders to assist high schools with the
implementation of such curriculum.
Section 4. Definitions
For terms defined in Section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and used in this
Act, applies the definitions of those terms in Section 8101 to
their use in this Act.
EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS
The amendments, including the amendment in the nature of a
substitute, are explained in the body of this report.
APPLICATION OF LAW TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Section 102(b)3 of Public Law 104-1 requires a description
of the application of this bill to the legislative branch. H.R.
5349 instructs the VOC to develop a civic education curriculum
to help prepare high school students to be civically
responsible and to ensure that high school students learn that
Communism has led to the deaths of more than 100,000,000
victims worldwide, understand the dangers of communism and
similar political ideologies, and understand that 1,500,000,000
people still suffer under communism. H.R. 5349 is applicable
only to the VOC and therefore does not affect the legislative
branch.
UNFUNDED MANDATE STATEMENT
Pursuant to Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and
Impoundment Control Act of 1974, Pub. L. No. 93-344 (as amended
by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of
1995, Pub. L. No. 104-4), the Committee adopts as its own the
cost estimate prepared by the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office (CBO) pursuant to section 402 of the
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The
Committee reports that because this cost estimate was not
timely submitted to the Committee before the filing of this
report, the Committee is not in a position to make a cost
estimate for H.R. 5349, as amended.
EARMARK STATEMENT
H.R. 5349 does not contain any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of
Representatives.
ROLL CALL VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires the Committee Report to include for
each record vote on a motion to report the measure or matter
and on any amendments offered to the measure or matter the
total number of votes for and against and the names of the
Members voting for and against.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In accordance with clause (3)(c) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the goal of H.R. 5349
instructs the VOC to develop a civic education curriculum to
help prepare high school students to be civically responsible
and to ensure that high school students learn that Communism
has led to the deaths of more than 100,000,000 victims
worldwide, understand the dangers of communism and similar
political ideologies, and understand that 1,500,000,000 people
still suffer under communism.
DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS
No provision of H.R. 5349 establishes or reauthorizes a
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of
another Federal program, a program that was included in any
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance.
STATEMENT OF OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause
2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives,
the committee's oversight findings and recommendations are
reflected in the body of this report.
REQUIRED COMMITTEE HEARING AND RELATED HEARINGS
In compliance with clause 3(c)(6) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives the following hearings held
during the 118th Congress were used to develop or consider H.R.
5349: on February 8, 2023, the Committee on Education and the
Workforce held a hearing on ``American Education in Crisis''
and on July 13, 2023, the Committee's Subcommittee on Higher
Education and Workforce Development held a hearing on
``Exposing the Dangers of the Influence of Foreign Adversaries
on College Campuses.''
NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY AND CBO COST ESTIMATE
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect
to requirements of clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received
the following estimate for H.R. 5349 from the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 5349 would direct the Victims of Communism Memorial
Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by the FRIENDSHIP
Act, to develop a civic education curriculum that examines the
history of communism and totalitarianism and includes a
comparison of different political ideologies. The bill also
would require the foundation to engage with state and local
officials in using the curriculum. Because the costs to
implement the bill are solely the responsibility of the
foundation and require no additional federal action, CBO
estimates that enacting the bill would have no impact on the
federal budget.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Garrett
Quenneville. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director, Congressional Budget Office.
COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE
Clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison of the
costs that would be incurred in carrying out H.R. 5349.
However, clause 3(d)(2)(B) of that rule provides that this
requirement does not apply when, as with the present report,
the committee adopts as its own the cost estimate of the bill
being prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED
H.R. 5349, as reported by the Committee, makes no changes
in existing law.
MINORITY VIEWS
H.R. 5349, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act introduced by
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) authorizes the Victims of
Communism Memorial Foundation to develop a civic education
curriculum for high school students to reflect that communism,
totalitarianism and similar political ideologies are ``in
conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy.''\1\
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\1\Crucial Communism Teaching Act, H.R. 5349, 118th Cong.
Sec. 3(1)(A) (2023).
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While the General Education Provisions Act bans the
Department of Education (ED) from the dictating curricula,\2\
Committee Democrats have advocated for bills in the past
authorizing independent entities to develop resources for use
in schools on certain topics of interest. For example, in the
116th Congress, the Committee provided assistance in the
drafting of H.R. 943, the Never Again Education Act, which
authorized the Director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
to ``develop and nationally disseminate accurate, relevant, and
accessible resources to promote understanding about how and why
the Holocaust happened in a program of holocaust
education.''\3\ The Committee managed the bill on the floor
under suspension of the House Rules where it passed 393-5. H.R.
943 passed the Senate unanimously and was signed into law May
29, 2020.\4\
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\2\General Education Provisions Act, 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232a (``No
provision of any applicable program shall be construed to authorize any
department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States to
exercise any direction, supervision, or control over the curriculum,
program of instruction, administration, or personnel of any educational
institution, school, or school system, or over the selection of library
resources, textbooks, or other printed or published instructional
materials by any educational institution or school system, or to
require the assignment or transportation of students or teachers in
order to overcome racial imbalance.'').
\3\H.R. 943, 116th Cong., Sec. 4(c)(1) (2019).
\4\Never Again Education Act, Pub. L. No. 116-141, 134 Stat. 636
(2020).
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While H.R. 5349 bill was reported out of Committee on a
bipartisan vote, Committee Democrats feel it important to note
some of the concerns many of our Members had with the bill.
First, it is worth noting that while H.R. 5349 is aimed at
ensuring educational materials are available to assist in
teaching students ``about the dangers of communism and
totalitarianism, and how they are contrary to the founding
principles of freedom and democracy in the United States,''\5\
it is silent on the documented, continued use of allegations of
Communist Party membership, sympathy, or allegiance against
innocent, patriotic Americans. One of the bill's explicit
purposes is to authorize the creation of the educational
resources that help students learn and understand statistics on
the numbers of people worldwide who either were killed by
communist regimes or currently live in communist states.\6\
While Committee Democrats agree that relevant facts should be
included, it is also important to include data that conveys
that, since the first Red Scare, through the McCarthyism of the
1950s, the Civil Rights Movement up to the present day,
politicians, predominantly on the right, have used communist
allegations as baseless smears against fellow Americans.\7\ The
bill's language should encourage American schools to produce
critical thinkers that understand when they hear a member of
Congress declare that ``78 to 81'' Democratic Members of
Congress are members of the Communist Party,\8\ that member is
engaging in invidious rhetoric designed not to be true, but to
enflame, scare, and pit Americans against each other. Many
Committee Democrats could not support such a bill that does not
expose this important facet of the subject at hand.
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\5\Press Release, Salazar Reintroduces Crucial Communism Act, Sept.
6, 2023, https://
salazar.house.gov/media/press-releases/salazar-reintroduces-crucial-
communism-teaching-act.
\6\Crucial Communism Teaching Act, H.R. 5349, 118th Cong.
Sec. 2(2)(A)-(C) (2023).
\7\See, e.g., National Constitution Center, On this day, massive
raids during the Red Scare, Constitution Daily Blog, (Jan. 2, 2023)
https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/on-this- day-massive-raids-during-
the-red-scare; McCarthyism and the Red Scare, The Age of Eisenhower,
UVA Miller Ctr., https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-
resources/age-of-eisenhower/mcarthyism-red-scare; Communism, The Martin
Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University,
(``As King rose to prominence he frequently had to defend himself
against allegations of being a Communist, though his view that
`Communism and Christianity are fundamentally incompatible' did not
change.'' (internal citations omitted)) https://
kinginstitute.stanford.edu/communism; Aaron Blake, ``Republican Rep.
Allen West Says Many Congressional Democrats Are Communists'', Wash.
Post (Apr, 11, 2012), https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/
post/republican-rep-allen-west-suggests-many-
congressional-democrats-are-communists/2012/04/11/
gIQApbZiAT_blog.html?hpid=z3.
\8\Blake, supra n. 6.
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In another tactic straight from the GOP playbook, H.R. 5349
is silent on the documented, continued ploy to frame any
progressive policy as communist. Whether it is Social Security,
Medicare, Medicaid, or the Affordable Care Act, right-wing
politicians seemingly never waste an opportunity to denigrate
any policy they disagree with as communist.\9\ As such, it is
understandable why American students may not have a full
understanding of what communism is, as a student of political
rhetoric in the United States over the last half century might
argue it could be defined as whatever policy Republicans are
opposing at any given moment.\10\ Further, as right-wing
rhetoric has effectively erased distinctions between communist,
socialist, and social democratic systems and policies, the
bill's directive to include information on similar political
ideologies, suggests such distinctions may not be present in
resources authorized under the bill. A bill purporting to teach
children about the dangers of communism should not be a Trojan
horse to denigrate policies like universal single-payer health
systems or robust social safety nets; our peace-loving,
democratic allies in Canada, the United Kingdom, or Northern
Europe should not be denigrated as communist states.\11\ If we
are authorizing resources to define what communism is, the
first task will be distinguishing all the things communism is
not. H.R. 5349 does not require such distinctions in the
resources authorized to be created under it, and without such
standards in place, many Members could not support the bill.
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\9\See, e.g., Ed Kilgore, ``Do Republicans Know What Communism
Is?''. New York Magazine, Mar. 2, 2022, https://nymag.com/
intelligencer/article/do-republicans-know-what-communism-is.html.
\10\Id., see 169 Cong. Rec. H635-43 (debate of H. Res. 9).
\11\E.g., Id. at H643 (statement of Rep. Anna Eshoo) (``In 1935,
Republican Representative Robert Rich said here in this chamber,
`Roosevelt is a socialist, not a Democrat.' In 1946, during the Truman
Administration, Republican Senator Robert Taft called a national health
insurance bill `the most socialistic measure that this Congress has
ever had before it.' In the 1960 election, Republican Senator Barry
Goldwater called the platform of John F. Kennedy `a blueprint for
socialism.' In 1964, when Lyndon Johnson passed Medicare, George H.W.
Bush called it `socialized medicine.' In 1976, Barry Goldwater claimed
that Jimmy Carter would bring about a `suicidal slide toward
socialism.' In 1993, Newt Gingrich called the Clinton health care plan
`socialism now or later.' Barrack Obama was routinely called a
socialist, including by three of the Republican candidates in the 2012
election. And several Members of this House have called Joe Biden's
bipartisan infrastructure law `socialist.''').
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Finally, during consideration of H.R. 5349, Ranking Member
Scott offered an amendment to simply insert ``fascism'' where
appropriate throughout the bill to ensure that any curricula
developed under the bill would address the ideology of fascism
as well as communism and totalitarianism. This was in order
under the Rules of the House as the bill already directed the
scope of the curricula to touch on both totalitarianism, and
similar political ideologies which are ``in conflict with the
principles of freedom and democracy.''\12\ Committee Democrats
argue that the dangers of fascism have just as much potential
as communism to upset the freedom and democracy Americans enjoy
now. And, as we see more and more explicit policies that
experts suggest are telltale stepping stones to the acceptance
of fascist and totalitarian regimes being espoused in public
(e.g., banning of books, state capture of the academy,
silencing of opposition, political scapegoating of immigrants,
fusing of religion and nationalism, blind allegiance to a
strongman leader not bound by the rule of law), it is obvious
students need to be taught to recognize these signs.\13\ The
mere fact that Committee Republicans could not accept such an
amendment, without a significant justification, only reinforced
the previously mentioned concerns some Committee Democrats had
with the bill.
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\12\Crucial Communism Teaching Act, H.R. 5349, 118th Cong.
Sec. 3(1)(A) (2023).
\13\See, e.g., James Roosevelt, Jr. et al., Opinion, ``We're Reach
Fascism's `inflection point'--again'', The Hill, Feb. 8, 2023, https://
thehill.com/opinion/white-house/3849326-were-reaching-fascisms-
inflection-point-again/; Akilah Allenye, Book Banning, Curriculum
Restrictions, and the Politicization of U.S. Schools, Ctr. for Am.
Progs., Sept. 19, 2022, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/book-
banning-curriculum-restrictions-and-the-politicization-of-u-s-schools/;
Lauren Leader & Donna Brazile, Opinion, State Republicans have gone
from opposing Democrats to opposing democracy, The Hill, May 1, 2023,
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3980491-republicans-have-gone-
from-opposing-democrats-to-opposing-democracy/; 169 Cong. Rec. H3089-90
(statement of Rep. Chuy Garcia); Kit O'Connell, ``Christofascism is
Everyone's Problem'', Tex. Observer, Nov. 3, 2022; Colin Dwyer, Donald
Trump: `I Could . . . Shoot Somebody, And I Wouldn't Lose Any
Voters''', Natl. Pub. Radio, Jan. 23, 2016.
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For the sake of the American experiment, we must assume
that H.R 5349 is well intentioned.\14\ But as a famous anti-
Communist President once said, ``trust, but verify.''\15\ To
the extent that Committee Republicans refused to except the
most innocuous amendment that would only further those good
intentions gave some Committee Democrats pause to analyze the
bill in the broader context of how communism has been used
rhetorically throughout the history of American politics. It is
our hope that any resources developed to teach American
children about communism would insist on the same thorough
analysis, and we stand ready to work with Committee Republicans
to improve this bill as the legislative process continues.
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\14\Jefferson's Manual, Sec. 363 (``The consequences of a measure
may be reprobated in strong terms; but to arraign the motives of those
who propose to advocate it is a personality, and against order.'').
\15\David K. Shipler, ``Reagan and Gorbachev Sign Missile Treaty
and Vow to Work for Greater Reductions'', N.Y. Times, Dec. 9, 1987.
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Robert C. ``Bobby'' Scott,
Ranking Member.
Frederica S. Wilson.
Mark Takano.
Mark DeSaulnier.
Pramila Jayapal.
Raul M. Grijalva.
Suzanne Bonamici.
Jahana Hayes.
[all]