Republican lawmakers introduce bills to strip the NEA of its federal charter, citing partisan advocacy and political priorities.

Legislation Aims to Revoke Charter from Teachers’ Union

Republican lawmakers in Congress are taking aim at the National Education Association (NEA), introducing new legislation that would revoke the federal charter of the nation’s largest teachers’ union. The proposed bills, announced Tuesday by North Carolina Rep. Mark Harris and Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, respond to mounting concerns that the NEA is acting more as a partisan advocacy organization than as a representative of educators and students.

The National Education Association Charter Repeal Act will be introduced simultaneously in the House and Senate, with Harris and Blackburn leading the effort in their respective chambers. Harris confirmed the move on X, naming ten other House Republicans who have already co-sponsored the bill. The lawmakers argue that Congress should not continue to bestow its official approval on an organization whose political activities, in their view, increasingly eclipse its educational mission.

“From branding President Trump a fascist to embracing divisive gender ideology and walking away from efforts to fight antisemitism, the NEA has become nothing more than a partisan advocacy group,” Harris told The Daily Caller. “Since the NEA is clearly not prioritizing students, parents or even teachers, it’s time to remove Congress’ seal of approval from this rogue organization.”

Union Convention Spurs Political Backlash

The legislative initiative comes in response to the NEA’s recent annual meeting, where resolutions reportedly focused on political stances rather than classroom issues. Education activist Corey DeAngelis obtained documents showing the NEA adopting multiple positions opposing President Donald Trump and his policies.

One resolution, which misspelled “fascism,” pledged to “defend against Trump’s embrace of fascism by using the term facism [sic] in NEA materials to correctly characterize Donald Trump’s program and actions.” Another resolution declared any move to eliminate the Department of Education as an “illegal, anti-democratic, and racist attempt to destroy public education and privatize it in the interests of the billionaires.”

Republican lawmakers say these examples illustrate a shift in the union’s priorities away from core educational issues. “The NEA’s agenda has become increasingly political, leaving students and teachers behind,” Harris argued in his announcement. Fox News Digital has reached out to both Harris and Blackburn for further comment.

The NEA, for its part, has not publicly responded to the proposed legislation. The organization, which represents millions of educators across the United States, has long held a congressional charter, a symbolic endorsement by the federal government that does not provide any specific legal or financial privileges.

Past Attempts and Ongoing Debate

This is not the first effort by congressional Republicans to strip the NEA of its charter. Wisconsin Rep. Scott Fitzgerald and Indiana Sen. Jim Banks attempted a similar measure in 2022. Those efforts failed to advance, but the new push comes amid rising national debate over the role of teachers’ unions in politics and public education.

The bills face an uncertain future in Congress, with Democrats expected to defend the NEA’s charter and unions broadly. Still, the debate underscores deepening partisan divisions over the direction of public education and the influence of advocacy organizations within the nation’s schools. As the legislative process unfolds, both sides are likely to use the issue to galvanize supporters ahead of upcoming elections.