DeSantis’ claim ignores a provision in the Civics Secures Democracy Act that prevents the education secretary from imposing curricula, such as critical race theory, on states that accept the grant funding.
The bill would award $585 million to state education agencies for civics initiatives annually for six years — totaling about $3.5 billion, not $6 billion.
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.
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