Republicans in Congress are taking direct aim at the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers union, after leaked internal resolutions revealed a slate of far-left, partisan, and allegedly antisemitic positions adopted at its July annual meeting. On Wednesday, Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced new legislation to revoke the NEA’s federal charter, citing a “complete betrayal” of the union’s original mission.
“The NEA was created to champion America’s teachers and serve our schools,” Harris said at a press conference. “But it has spiraled into a partisan machine that’s more about radical ideology than education.”
The bill, co-sponsored by Reps. Mary Miller (R-IL) and Ralph Norman (R-SC), seeks to strip the NEA of the federal charter it was granted in 1906 — a designation that symbolically affirms its national purpose and legitimacy. Supporters of the bill include Corey DeAngelis, a leading voice in the school choice movement, and Tina Descovich, co-founder of Moms for Liberty.
Corey DeAngelis, who helped expose the NEA’s recent resolutions, detailed a list of highly politicized items passed at the union’s July gathering. These include supporting students who organize against ICE raids, endorsing LGBTQ+ activism in schools, and passing a resolution to label Donald Trump’s policies as “facism” — a term the union itself misspelled in its official materials.
Perhaps most controversially, the NEA also adopted a resolution to “not use, endorse, or publicize” materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization historically committed to fighting antisemitism. Critics, including Jewish groups and free speech advocates, blasted the resolution as openly antisemitic and politically motivated.
“The NEA’s rejection of the ADL is not just disturbing — it’s disgraceful,” Harris said. “This is not a union focused on students or education. It’s a political machine with a clear agenda.”
The union is also under fire for its financial contributions. According to reporting from The Daily Caller, the NEA spent nearly $2 million on Democratic candidates in the 2024 election cycle alone. DeAngelis described the union’s political activity as “a money laundering operation,” pointing out that 98% of their political donations go exclusively to Democrats.
“The NEA calls itself a teachers union,” Harris added, “but their true mission is clear: indoctrinating our children with toxic propaganda.”
One moment cited from reporting by The Free Press has gone viral — an NEA delegate reportedly dismissing a question about improving literacy instruction with the response: “We don’t have time for that. We’ve got to fight Trump.”
