WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement today after President Biden signed into law the Deterring Egregious State Infiltration of Schools’ Training (DESIST) Act, which was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2024. The bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from establishing or maintaining Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) programs at any private school operated or controlled by entities linked to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Following passage, Sen. Cruz said, “The Chinese Communist Party uses censorship and propaganda to with the goal of controlling what Americans see, hear, and ultimately think. The CCP has broadly sought to infiltrate American schools, including high schools and upper education. I have fought against that influence for years, including ensuring that Confucius Institutes were denied DOD funds and closed. The DESIST Act will further protect our students.”
Background
In addition to securing passage of the DESIST Act, , Sen. Cruz also secured four other bipartisan victories in this year’s NDAA. He facilitated the passage of a provision to streamline the presidential permitting process for building four bridges across the Rio Grande in Brownsville, Laredo, and Eagle Pass, Texas. These bridges will boost the Texas and U.S. economy by billions.
Sen. Cruz also secured passage of language ensuring that B-1 bombers stationed in Abilene, TX remain in the Air Force fleet as long as they’re needed for national security. Another measure ensures corrupt officials responsible for Vladimir Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline are held accountable was also included in the NDAA. He also secured passage of a bill that will call attention to how the dictatorship in Venezuela seizes American hostages, including Texans.
