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@EdWorkforceCmte Passes Bills Limiting Foreign Influence in Schools, Protecting Child Nutrition

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 12, 2025

Today, the Education and Workforce Committee passed five bills to limit foreign influence in American classrooms and protect child nutrition: H.R. 1048, Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act; H.R. 649, Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025; 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; and H.R. 1049, Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act.

On the passage of the bills, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) said: “The very first package of bills passed out of this Committee sends a strong message: we will not tolerate any attempt by America’s adversaries to subvert our education system or exploit our students. Authoritarian regimes around the world, like the Chinese Communist Party, are trying to use lucrative financial ties to influence our students, steal research, and censor free speech. These bills are a strong first step to limit the reach of our adversaries and offer a new set of tools to hold malign actors accountable.

“Passing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 out of Committee highlights another important priority: ensuring childhood access to nutrition. Passing this bill is a no-brainer, as whole milk provides children with important vitamins and minerals like calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D. It’s time to set our children on a path to a stronger, healthier future.”

H.R. 1048, the DETERRENT Act:

  • Tightens and clarifies foreign gift reporting requirements for colleges and universities.
  • Slashes foreign gift reporting requirements from $250,000 to $50,000. Requirements for countries of concern are further reduced to $0.
  • Closes reporting loopholes.
  • Requires disclosures of foreign gifts and contracts to staff at research-heavy institutions.
  • Reveals concerning foreign investments in endowments.
  • Imposes strict consequences, such as the loss of Title IV funding, for colleges and universities that continually fail to comply.


H.R. 649, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025:

  • Protects students’ access to a variety of healthy milk options including whole, organic, low- or non-fat, and lactose-free options to accommodate student dietary restrictions.
  • Ensures milk provided to students is not coming from Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-owned enterprises.


H.R. 1069, the PROTECT Our Kids Act:

  • Prohibits federal education funds from being given to any elementary school or secondary school that directly or indirectly receives support from the CCP.


H.R. 1005, the CLASS Act:

  • Requires school districts to disclose to the Secretary of Education within 30 days any instance of them receiving funding or entering into a contract with a foreign source.


H.R. 1049, the TRACE Act:

  • Establishes that parents have the right to know about donations, financial transactions, and classroom materials from foreign countries or foreign entities of concern.
  • Requires schools to respond to parent requests regarding whether faculty are paid by foreign entities of concern.


Full video of the markup can be found here.


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