WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) today introduced the Crucial Communism Teaching Act to help educate students about the history and dangers of communism.
“Communism is a cancer, and it always produces the same results: oppression, suffering and death. We must teach the next generation of Americans the threat communism poses to liberty and justice for innocent people around the world,” said Kennedy.
“For families across America, particularly many in Florida, America shines as a beacon of freedom and democracy, standing in stark contrast to the communist regimes that once stripped them of their basic freedoms and liberties. For decades, the left has worked to promote failed socialist and communist ideologies that go against the very values we and President Trump are fighting so hard to protect. Our bill, the Crucial Communism Teaching Act, will provide schools with necessary resources to educate our future generations about the dangers of communism, helping to preserve the freedoms and principles that define our nation,” said Scott.
“At a time when nearly one-third of Gen Z hold a ‘favorable opinion” of communism, it is clear our education system has fallen short educating young people about the dangers of communism and its long dark history of oppression, persecution, and violence. That’s why I am proud to be co-sponsoring Senator Kennedy’s Crucial Communism Teaching Act,” said Schmitt.
Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) introduced the companion bill in the House of Representatives.
“By passing my Crucial Communism Teaching Act, the House of Representatives will ensure future generations will remember the pain and suffering caused by the brutal communist ideology. My community in Miami understands the evils of communism very well, and we must ensure all Americans are aware of the death and misery it has caused. Their stories and memories will now live on in the minds of our youth,” said Salazar.
100 million people have died worldwide as a result of Communism. Today, more than 1.5 billion people still suffer under communist rule. A 2020 poll by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation showed that more than one in four Millennials and nearly one in three members of Generation Z view communism favorably
The Crucial Communism Teaching Act would make educational materials available through the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to help teach high school students about the dangers of communism and totalitarianism. The bill would also require high schools to teach students the history of communism and how this ideology undermines America’s founding principles of freedom and democracy.
During the 118th Congress, the House of Representatives passed the bill.
The bill text is available here.
