Representative Zach Nunn of Iowa’s 3rd District joined House Republican leaders, including Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, and Chairwoman McClain, in Washington to address concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence in American K-12 schools. The announcement comes as the House considers new legislation aimed at preventing foreign adversaries from accessing U.S. classrooms and targeting students.
Nunn shared his background as a counterintelligence officer and described his experiences with Chinese activities: “I started off my career as a counterintelligence officer. For twenty years, I worked directly inside China and saw firsthand what Communist China was doing to the United States — not just buying farmland, but literally sending agents into my district and pulling corn seed out of the ground so they could replicate it back home. Now, they’re not just coming after what we grow in our fields, they’re coming after what we grow in our classrooms. Most recently, a group from Des Moines Public Schools was taken on an all-expenses-paid trip to China. The Chinese weren’t there under the facade of friendship, they were there to collect information, to exploit, and to manipulate. They forced these kids to hand over their digital information, required them to use WeChat — an internal public server for China — and started an early process of cultivation. In the counterintelligence world, we consider this source recruitment.”
Nunn also highlighted questions raised by Iowa parents regarding the legality of such activities: “I’ve had parents across Iowa ask, ‘How is this legal?’ And the simple truth is: there’s no law preventing it. The Chinese government is creating a series of shell organizations to recruit kids to come to China, and then exploit them the moment they set foot in Beijing. This has to stop. I am so proud of this team for helping us stand up to what the Politburo in Beijing is trying to do to kids in Des Moines, Iowa, and across our country. We have the opportunity not only to push back but to send a strong signal that we are open to a real friendship with China — but we will not stand by while they attempt future exploitation.”
House leadership intends for upcoming legislation to address gaps that currently allow foreign entities access or influence over American students through school programs or travel opportunities.
