Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has introduced legislation that would ban the National Education Association (NEA) from influencing Congress, citing the union’s shift from education to radical political activism. The bill would require the NEA to certify annually that it has not lobbied lawmakers, or risk losing its congressional charter.
“The National Education Association has abandoned its mission of supporting America’s teachers and students in the name of pushing its far-left political agenda,” Blackburn said. She accused the NEA of promoting “woke gender ideology, antisemitism, and propaganda” rather than focusing on education.
The bill is Blackburn’s second targeting the NEA this month. Earlier, she partnered with Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) to introduce a bill to revoke the union’s congressional charter altogether.
“Congress established the NEA in 1906 to support America’s teachers and strengthen our schools, but it has abandoned that mission in favor of a radical agenda,” said Harris. He cited the NEA’s public attacks on President Trump, promotion of gender ideology, and retreat from fighting antisemitism as proof that the group now operates as a partisan advocacy organization.
Support for the legislation comes from prominent conservative groups including Moms for Liberty, Heritage Action, and Young America’s Foundation.
“It’s incredibly sad that the nation’s largest teachers union has put woke politics before America’s children,” said Tina Descovich, CEO of Moms for Liberty. “The NEA’s embrace of radical left policies and antisemitism combined with their rejection of parental rights has forced moms and dads across America to condemn this organization.”
The legislative push reflects growing dissatisfaction among conservative lawmakers and parent-led groups who argue the NEA has overstepped its educational mission to become a political machine.
