House Panel Advances HR8705 to Bar Federal Funds Over Slavery, Civil Rights and LGBTQ Lessons
Updated
Updated · People's World · May 22
House Panel Advances HR8705 to Bar Federal Funds Over Slavery, Civil Rights and LGBTQ Lessons
2 articles · Updated · People's World · May 22
May 21’s committee vote advanced HR8705, which would deny federal education money to schools whose history teachers cover slavery’s impact, civil rights, immigration, Jan. 6, LGBTQ rights or Jeffrey Epstein.
The bill, dubbed the “Charlie Act,” ties funding to bans on what it defines as “discriminatory equity ideology” and “gender ideology,” while also blocking the Education Department from prioritizing race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or immigration status in grants.
Rep. Bobby Scott, the panel’s top Democrat, condemned Charlie Kirk’s killing but said the measure would censor classrooms and whitewash history; Democratic amendments to remove the restrictions failed.
The proposal now fits a broader pattern of House Education and Workforce Committee messaging bills that can pass on party-line votes in the House but often stall in the Senate.
As curriculum controls tighten, what are the long-term consequences for academic freedom and research in higher education?