Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized President Joe Biden for what he said were attempts to "indoctrinate students" with critical race theory.
In a press conference, DeSantis hailed the state’s improving test scores on civics and history and contrasted Florida’s approach — which included contentious civics training for educators — with the Biden administration’s "ideological agenda."
"These efforts all come as Congress considers the misleadingly titled ‘Civics Secures Democracy Act,’ which would allow the Biden Administration to buy off states with $6 billion if they sacrifice American History for Critical Race Theory and Biden’s other political whims of the day," DeSantis said in a press release on June 30.
If passed, the Civics Secures Democracy Act, introduced with bipartisan support in 2022, will prioritize civics education and devote $1 billion annually to bolster the effort.
We wondered whether DeSantis was right that the legislation provides $6 billion to states that incorporate critical race theory, a broad set of ideas about systemic bias and privilege, into their curricula.
PolitiFact found that DeSantis’ portrayal was inaccurate. The bill would authorize the education secretary to make grants to support educational programs in civics. It doesn’t mention critical race theory.
The bill doesn’t provide a financial incentive for states to adopt critical race theory
The legislation was introduced in June by a bipartisan group of senators, including Republicans Bill...
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