The leader of a key Senate committee is encouraging Congress to reevaluate the charter of the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers union. Concerns have arisen over its associations with far-left groups and questionable financial activities.
The NEA represents around three million educators. In recent times, it has faced criticism for encouraging students and teachers to support liberal activist causes. Members have also expressed dissatisfaction with the union’s insufficient action against antisemitism. Furthermore, NEA has allocated substantial funds in membership dues towards left-wing initiatives and has partnered with organizations that support political violence and extreme left ideologies.
Senator’s Concerns
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, is urging his fellow lawmakers to closely examine the NEA’s congressional charter.
“Children are struggling to read and to do basic math. Instead of helping students succeed, teachers’ unions are injecting a dangerous, anti-American agenda into our classrooms,” Cassidy stated to Fox News Digital. “Parents deserve to send their children to school without worrying that they will be indoctrinated with DEI and taught that Americans have ‘misplaced faith’ in our institutions.”
The exclusive report obtained by Fox News Digital highlights the NEA’s frequent collaboration with the Zinn Education Project and Rethinking Schools. These educational nonprofits closely linked to each other have published materials supportive of the Black Panther Party’s actions, a left-wing militant nationalist group from the Cold War era.
Educational Materials Under Scrutiny
The Zinn Education Project and Rethinking Schools have released curricula that praise Black Panther Party members involved in acts of political violence. According to Cassidy’s report, the ideologies of Marxism and communism promoted by the Black Panther Party clash with the principles of the United States Constitution.
“The Black Panthers advocated for the use of armed force against police and were involved in the murders of civil servants and members of their own party,” the report reads.
Rethinking Schools also crafted lesson plans involving students role-playing as “queer liberation” activists opposing the “Religious Right.” Another plan titled “Expanding Intersectional Queer History in the Elementary Grades” offers guidance for integrating LGBTQ themes in lessons for young students.
Influence on Teaching Practices
The union has heavily associated with these nonprofits by sharing platform space and speaking opportunities at conferences, teaming up on curriculum development, and hosting national teaching events. Their materials and lesson plans have been widely disseminated among educators.
Furthermore, the report accuses NEA of participating in various left-wing protest movements, which deviates from its original charter granted in 1906. The union’s engagement in the 2026 May Day protests is highlighted as an example, where educators encouraged young students to partake in political activism.
Financial Allegations
Investigations reveal that the NEA has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to advocacy groups and political action committees predominantly aligned left-center since 2015. Allegations suggest that NEA-funded organizations provided lucrative positions to union leaders.
“The central issue is not whether every such expenditure is impermissible. Rather, it is whether members receive sufficient transparency about how their dues are used, whether union leadership has adopted adequate safeguards against conflicts of interest and whether these expenditures advance the purposes for which members joined the union in the first place,” reads the Senate committee report.
Substantial NEA donations went to influential Democratic-aligned funds such as the Sixteen Thirty Fund and Tides Foundation, as well as direct contributions to its own PAC supporting mostly Democratic candidates.
Concerns Over Representation
The HELP committee report also highlights NEA’s purported disregard for Jewish educators. A letter from its Jewish Affairs Caucus in August 2025 reported instances of antisemitic conduct at the union’s annual assembly.
Though not congressionally chartered like the NEA, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) finds itself similarly criticized in Cassidy’s report. Instances of “No Kings” protests against former President Trump, boycotting Target over immigration enforcement, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights form the basis of these alleged mission departures.
The NEA, AFT, Rethinking Schools, and the Zinn Education Project did not respond to requests for comments on Tuesday. This scrutiny coincides with the NEA transitioning to new leadership, marking the start of Princess R. Moss’s tenure as president, following Becky Pringle.