Dive Brief:
- Legislation to limit Chinese influence in education and to require schools to serve whole milk along with other milk choices were among a handful of education bills passed along party lines Wednesday by the House Education and Workforce Committee.
- Of the five GOP-sponsored bills considered, four concerned foreign influence in K-12 and colleges. Republicans on the committee said the bills would add transparency to foreign funds in schools and halt Chinese influence in classrooms.
- Democrats opposing the measures, however, said they would not improve education and would put unfunded mandates on schools. Additionally, they questioned GOP efforts to add responsibilities to the U.S. Department of Education while the party is also pushing to significantly limit the agency's responsibilities.
Dive Insight:
Wednesday's actions marked the first bills reported out of the House education committee in the new session of Congress. As such, they provided an early indicator of the priorities for the committee under the new leadership of Chairman Tim Walberg, R-Mich.
Speaking in favor of the bills relating to China, Walberg said the Chinese Communist Party's "influence in American classrooms is pervasive across all levels of education. In K-12 schools, Confucius Classrooms pose as cultural exchange centers yet often act as vehicles for CCP propaganda."
Democratic committee members said they oppose nefarious foreign influence in schools but were concerned the bills at hand were arbitrary, would create paperwork burdens on schools, and could be discriminatory by targeting certain countries and researchers focusing on nationality rather than security risks.
"This bill undermines international collaborations that have historically advanced fields like health and technology," said ranking member Bobby Scott, D-Va.
In speaking out against a bill "to eliminate communist teachings," Scott said, "There's no clear evidence that there is even any significant foreign influence in K through 12 schools. This bill fails to address any actual threats, even if they did exist."
The four bills involving Chinese and other foreign influence in schools include:
- HR 1048, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act.
- H.R. 1069, Promoting Responsible Oversight to Eliminate Communist Teachings (PROTECT) Our Kids Act.
- H.R. 1005, Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems (CLASS) Act.
- H.R. 1049, Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act.
The fifth bill considered — H.R. 649, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 — had been a mostly bipartisan effort when considered in the last Congress. The 2025 version would amend the National School Lunch Act to allow participating schools to offer lunches with milk choices, including flavored and unflavored organic or non-organic whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free and lactose-free milk.
The milk bill also contains a China component: Schools participating in the school lunch program would not be allowed to purchase or offer milk "produced by China state-owned enterprises."
Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., sponsor of the bill, told committee members the bill would not require students to drink whole milk. The bottom line, he said, "is simply about giving students greater choice in the school cafeteria."
Republican members presented information from studies supporting the health benefits and nutritional value of whole milk, while Democratic members pointed to guidelines and research touting low-fat and fat-free milk as healthier options.
Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga., said she was opposing the measure because it would not alleviate childhood hunger.
All five bills still need approval from the full House, as well as the Senate, before being sent to President Donald Trump for signature.
