Crucial Communism Teaching Act


The Crucial Communism Teaching Act is a proposed United States law that would develop a high school curriculum with the purpose of teaching students about the history and dangers of communism. Introduced by Representative Salazar in the 118th Congress, the bill has passed the House by a vote of 327 - 62 on December 6, 2024.
Critics of the bill say that it oversimplifies the history of communism and overlooks the history of anti-communism in the United States.

Background

Public opinion polls during the late 2010s and early 2020s found increasing support for communism in Americans, particularly among younger generations. Some conservatives have attributed this uptick to insufficient education about communist regimes, while some on the left attribute it to dissatisfaction with government and economic conditions.
In 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill promoting the teaching of anti-communist lessons in Florida schools, and in February 2024, signed, requiring the teaching of the "atrocities" and "increasing threat" of communism in Florida public schools from kindergarten to 12th grade. Similar bills have also been introduced in Arizona and the U.S. Congress. The framework of the Crucial Communism Teaching Act was modeled after that of the which allows for the creation of educational resources regarding the Holocaust.

Provisions

The bill asks that the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation creates educational resources to promote the teaching of some of the impacts of communism throughout recent history. It aims to ensure that high school students learn that, among other things, "communism has led to the deaths of over 100 million victims worldwide", and that "1.5 billion people still suffer under communism." It additionally asks that students learn of the actions of regimes such as that of the People's Republic of China against the Uyghurs, and antidemocratic efforts in places such as Hong Kong.

Controversy

Congressman Bobby Scott said of the bill that, while there is value in teaching about totalitarian regimes, the manner in which the bill does this is not comprehensive and could lead to greater politicization in education. Others see the bill as being intended to spread anti-communist ideology, reminiscent of the McCarthy era.

Legislative history

As of August 2, 2025:
CongressShort titleBill numberDate introducedSponsor# of cosponsorsLatest status
118th CongressCrucial Communism Teaching ActSeptember 5, 2024Maria Elvira Salazar
33Passed House
119th CongressCrucial Communism Teaching ActMarch 3, 2025Maria Elvira Salazar15Introduced in House
119th CongressCrucial Communism Teaching ActMarch 12, 2025John Kennedy 2Introduced in Senate