Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) introduced a House resolution prohibiting American private schools owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from operating junior military programs.
A bill being introduced Monday by Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., would bar U.S. private schools owned by China to operate junior military programs, according to a report. https://t.co/DcsH26BCF6
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) February 27, 2023
In a press release, Waltz stated that Chinese companies and subsidiaries have invested in private schools across the U.S., including those hosting Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) programs intended to prepare high schoolers for future military service.
“It’s incredibly concerning that there are American private schools owned by companies with strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party,” Waltz said.
“From Florida to New York, there is clear evidence that the ownership of these schools are linked to our greatest adversary and it’s ridiculous that we are developing potential future military leaders through JROTC programs where the CCP could be shaping school curriculum and activities,” he added.
“With the ongoing military recruitment crisis, I am concerned that any students we recruit into the service from these CCP-influenced schools will have a sympathetic view of China’s political and strategic aims,” he continued.
Waltz listed the Florida Preparatory Academy in Melbourne, Florida, as an example of a CCP-owned private school, owned by Newopen, USA, a subsidiary of China’s Chongqing-based Newopen Education Group whose chairman, Zhou Dengguang, participated in the CCP-sponsored Chinese Entrepreneurs Association.
In 2015, the Research Center on Natural Conservation purchased the New York Military Academy, backed by China’s SouFun Holdings Ltd., also known as Fang Holdings, spending nearly $16 million on the school, according to Reuters.
Furthermore, in December 2017, two different Chinese firms purchased primary schools and at least one secondary school in the U.S., according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
In 2020, the House Affairs Committee released a report detailing the influence the CCP has over schools in the U.S.
The report, titled “Chinese Communist Party Threat to American Universities,” states that Confucius classrooms are in more than 500 schools in the U.S.
Newsweek reported that the Propaganda Department of the CCP funds Confucius classrooms. The department is responsible for shaping ideology and censorship in China.
Why are we allowing the Chinese Communist Party to buy private schools in America with JROTC programs?
We must keep our greatest adversary from shaping the minds of the future military leaders of America. https://t.co/9XP5HDEBd1
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) February 28, 2023
In 1916, the National Defense Act established JROTC programs. By 1964, Congress expanded the program to all military services, according to the U.S. Army Junior ROTC
“JROTC teaches young men and women the kind of self-discipline, self-confidence, and leadership skills that can help them successfully meet the challenges of adulthood,” the Defense Department says of JROTC.
Waltz’s bill is likely to receive bipartisan support. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) co-sponsored the legislation.
