BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven recently joined Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) in pushing back on China after reports show millions of dollars from Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked entities have flowed into America’s K-12 classrooms. In a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, the senators outline that for nearly two decades the CCP has sought to compromise the integrity of America’s K-12 educational system through state-sponsored programs, using tools such as grants, sister school partnerships and “Confucius Classrooms.” The senators further request the U.S. Department of Education conduct a nationwide audit to determine the extent of funding from hostile foreign adversaries in schools.
“Programs vetted and managed by the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have infiltrated 34 states nationwide, impacting more than 170,000 students across 143 school districts,” wrote the senators. “We urge you to conduct a thorough, nationwide audit to determine how much funding from hostile foreign governments has flowed to America’s K-12 schools. We also urge you to analyze the extent to which other hostile foreign governments, in addition to the PRC, may have already gained access to our K-12 schools.”
In addition to Hoeven and Scott, the letter is co-signed by HELP Committee Ranking Member Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-La.), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). The full text of the letter can be read here.
