This far-left union has put woke agenda over students; here’s how Congress can hold it accountable

Published 10:22 am Tuesday, August 5, 2025

By Sen. Marsha Blackburn

In 1857, a hundred educators gathered in Philadelphia with a simple yet noble mission: “to elevate the character and advance the interest of the profession of teaching” in America. To promote their cause, they founded the National Education Association.

One hundred sixty-eight years later, the nation’s largest teachers union has strayed far from its founding purpose, acting more like a far-left activist group than an educational organization.

During the NEA’s annual convention last month, the group vowed to “defend against [President] Trump’s embrace of fascism.” It called the administration’s efforts to right-size the government and eliminate the Department of Education a “racist attempt to destroy public education.” At its most absurd, it compared the president’s efforts to secure the border to Jim Crow and affirmed the rights of students to organize against ICE operations.

Unfortunately, the NEA’s far-left radicalism is nothing new.

In its latest educational handbook, the group erased the word “Jewish” when referencing the Holocaust—only to delete the handbook from its website after getting caught.

For years, it has pushed left-wing causes in classrooms, including so-called environmental justice, critical race theory and gender ideology that teaches children that they can become “trans kids.”

In 2020 and 2021, the NEA stood in the way of reopening schools by threatening strikes and influencing the CDC guidance process to make it harder for schools to reopen. According to recent studies, blue states that bowed to the demands of teachers unions to keep schools closed have seen the worst effects of pandemic learning loss.

The NEA doesn’t care about teachers, students or education. Instead, it is focused on supporting the radical causes championed by today’s Democratic Party.

This should come as no surprise. Ahead of last year’s presidential election, the NEA’s president said that her members are “doing everything possible to ensure Kamala Harris and Tim Walz … are elected this November.” That same election cycle, 98 percent of NEA political donations went to Democrats.

Despite being a partisan operation, the NEA has been given free rein to influence decision-makers in the federal government. It also enjoys a congressional charter, making it the only labor union in the country with a federal charter. Although the union does not directly receive federal funds, this congressional “seal of approval” likely boosts its efforts to fundraise among Americans who are led to believe that the NEA is a nonpartisan organization.

To hold the NEA accountable, I recently introduced two crucial pieces of legislation. Alongside Rep. Mark Harris (R-N.C.), I introduced the National Education Association Charter Repeal Act, which would revoke the NEA’s charter and ensure that no American is left under the impression that the federal government approves of the NEA’s far-left operations.

Last week, I also introduced the Terminating Education Association Congressional Handouts (TEACH) Act, which would ban the NEA from influencing the decisions of the federal government and require the union to submit an annual certification to the secretary of education testifying that it has abided by the law.

The NEA long ago abandoned its core mission of supporting teachers and students. With my bills, Congress can acknowledge this reality and treat the union for what it truly is: a far-left advocacy group.

(Marsha Blackburn represents Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.)