High Country Times

The Education and Workforce Committee has passed five bills aimed at reducing foreign influence in American schools and ensuring child nutrition. The legislation includes H.R. 1048, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act; H.R. 649, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025; H.R. 1069, the Promoting Responsible Oversight to Eliminate Communist Teachings (PROTECT) Our Kids Act; H.R. 1005, the Combating the Lies of Authoritarians in School Systems (CLASS) Act; and H.R. 1049, the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act.

Committee Chairman Tim Walberg expressed strong support for these measures: “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." He emphasized that authoritarian regimes like the Chinese Communist Party are using financial ties to influence students and research.

Walberg also highlighted nutritional concerns addressed by one of the bills: “Passing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025 out of Committee highlights another important priority: ensuring childhood access to nutrition."

Key provisions include tightening foreign gift reporting requirements under the DETERRENT Act, protecting milk options under the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, prohibiting federal funds for schools supported by certain foreign entities under PROTECT Our Kids Act, mandating disclosure of foreign funding under CLASS Act, and establishing parental rights regarding foreign contributions under TRACE Act.

The full video of this legislative markup is available online.