Taxpayer-funded critical race theory must come to an end - Republicans should answer the call

America’s left-wing elites can’t stop talking about race, specifically critical race theory (CRT). But taxpayers should not be on the hook for subsidizing this ideology.

In recent years, CRT has infiltrated our culture, poisoning everything it touches and racializing every issue imaginable. Schools across the country have injected its tenets into the classroom, teaching children as young as age 3 to see themselves as oppressors or oppressed based on the color of their skin. Numerous major companies have forced their employees to undergo mandatory training sessions instructing them to treat their co-workers differently depending on race. And our media institutions, led by the New York Times, are actively rewriting our nation’s history, declaring, for example, that America’s most cherished principles are rooted in and inseparable from slavery and racism.

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Naturally, these changes have proven very unpopular among Americans of all stripes who recognize CRT’s inherent divisiveness and bigotry. Nevertheless, even as the pushback has begun, our leaders are using Americans' own tax dollars to advance CRT even further. Its spread through the public schools is, of course, one of the most visible cases of this. But even more alarmingly, as Manhattan Institute fellow Christopher F. Rufo has documented, CRT is also being increasingly treated as dogma within the agencies of our government.

A developer of America's nuclear weapons technology, for example, recently held a race-segregated training session where the culture of White men was associated with "mass killings" and the KKK. At the end of the session, employees had to write letters to their non-White and female colleagues, presumably to apologize for their race. The Department of Homeland Security, in a different training, instructed employees that statements like "America is the land of opportunity" or "I believe the most qualified person should get the job" are racist. The Treasury Department ran a similar program and seems to have spent millions in public funds doing so.

CRT-based initiatives are profoundly bigoted and wrong. No American should be forcefully subjected to these toxic ideas, and we certainly should not be teaching them on the public dime.

The Smithsonian, meanwhile, which is funded in large part by the American people, promoted material in 2020 lambasting the aspects and assumptions of what it called "White culture." Among the supposedly "White" concepts: self-reliance, the nuclear family, Christian holidays, objective and rational linear thinking, cause and effect relationships, schedules, planning for the future, decision-making, and politeness. Yes, it is apparently now racist to be polite.

It should go without saying that these CRT-based initiatives are profoundly bigoted and wrong. No American should be forcefully subjected to these toxic ideas, and we certainly should not be teaching them on the public dime.

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To his great credit, Donald Trump ended these racist trainings in federal agencies via executive order during his presidency. But when Joe Biden took office last year, he was quick not only to reinstate them, but also to double down. Unless Congress acts, it seems likely this administration will continue to cement CRT deep within our government institutions.

We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. To start, Congress must pass legislation like the STOP CRT Act, which would codify Trump’s executive order and prohibit schools receiving federal funds from promoting, or requiring students and teachers to promote, racist theories. Taxpayers should not be forced to give their money to schools that teach students that any race is superior, that their country is fundamentally racist, or that anyone is guilty or morally unworthy on account of his or her race.

Congress must also ensure moving forward that all government spending is prohibited from being used to promote CRT. Just like the Hyde Amendment, which bans taxpayer dollars from funding abortion, an anti-CRT amendment should be added to every spending bill that is voted through by this body. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., succeeded in adding such an amendment to last year’s $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package – the amendment passed 50-49 with the support of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on an otherwise party-line vote – and there is no question that this should become the norm moving forward.

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Although rooting out a racist ideology like CRT from our government ought to be a bipartisan issue, Democrats have largely opposed these efforts thus far, evoking memories of their party’s own dark history. If we can’t get the Democrats to agree, then Republicans should take the case to the voters in November. Americans should not be paying for racist teachers. They should not be paying for racist books or programs. And they should not be paying for materials that portray America as the worst country in the world.

The American people know all this is wrong. And if last year’s elections are any indicator, they are eager for leaders to put a stop to it. Republicans should answer this call and make defunding CRT a top priority.

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Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., represents North Carolina’s 9th District. Terry Schilling is president of the American Principles Project.