Efforts to eliminate the country's largest teachers union may not be viable. However, Congress holds the power to implement alternative measures instead.
The National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers union in the United States, has been a subject of controversy in recent times. The union, often described as the ideological and institutional vanguard of progressive politics and a powerful wing of the Democratic Party, has been under scrutiny due to its priorities and activities.
In a nine-page report for convention delegates, the NEA's priorities do not include improving student learning, promoting family values, or using tax dollars efficiently. Instead, the union's focus seems to be on other matters.
The Union's Controversial Practices
The NEA's website contains documents that are considered shocking, such as a "Pronoun Guide" claiming that people who do not share their pronouns are "unsafe" and a "Land Acknowledgement Guide" directing readers to fight "colonization". These practices have raised questions about the union's priorities and its role in shaping public education.
Moreover, the NEA's annual Representative Assembly, held in Portland, generated headlines and mockery due to controversial resolutions approved by the union's delegates. Some of these resolutions included attacking former President Donald Trump as a "fascist" and cutting ties with the pro-Jewish Anti-Defamation League.
The STUDENT Act: A Call for Accountability
In response to these controversies, Congressional action is being taken to overhaul the NEA's federal charter to make the union more accountable and less partisan. The introduction of the Stopping Teachers Unions from Damaging Education Needs Today (STUDENT) Act aims to address the unique practices of the NEA as a labor union.
The STUDENT Act requires the NEA to abide by rules such as refraining from partisan political advocacy and abiding by corporate transparency requirements. It also addresses practices unique to the NEA, such as respecting teachers' First Amendment right to refrain from union membership, prohibiting damaging strikes, and barring advocacy for critical race theory.
The STUDENT Act also seeks to end direct and indirect taxpayer subsidies for the NEA and its affiliates around the country.
The STUDENT Act and the Current Legislative Landscape
As of late July 2025, the STUDENT Act is not a prominent or enacted bill connected to revoking the NEA’s charter. There is no public legislative status indicating such a measure is advancing within Congress. The primary federal education legislation currently discussed is the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which reshapes student aid and public education funding but does not target the NEA's federal charter.
Conservative Support for the STUDENT Act
Despite this, the STUDENT Act has garnered support from conservatives. More than 30 organizations support the Act, including Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican who represents Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District.
The NEA has been accused of pursuing a radical social and economic agenda. The union has been involved in filing lawsuits against the Trump administration, fighting efforts to defund DEI in public schools, shuttering schools with strikes, supporting protests, backing LGBTQ+ Pride Month, organizing labor opposition to immigration enforcement, and working to "flip" the U.S. House of Representatives to Democrats in 2026.
The NEA's Federal Charter
The NEA received a federal charter by act of Congress in 1906, sharing this recognition with 95 organizations such as the Boy Scouts, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the VFW. If the STUDENT Act were to pass, it would mark a significant change in the NEA's status and operations.
In conclusion, the STUDENT Act is a proposed piece of legislation aimed at making the National Education Association more accountable and less partisan. While its status in Congress is unclear, it has garnered support from conservatives and raises important questions about the role of the NEA in shaping public education.
The National Education Association's (NEA) focus on matters other than improving student learning, promoting family values, or using tax dollars efficiently has been questioned, with critics citing controversial practices such as the "Pronoun Guide" and the "Land Acknowledgement Guide" published on the union's website.
The NEA's annual Representative Assembly has been a source of controversy due to the approval of resolutions that some perceive as politically partisan, such as attacking former President Donald Trump as a "fascist" and cutting ties with the Anti-Defamation League.
Congressional action is being taken to address the NEA's practices through the introduction of the STUDENT Act, which aims to make the union more accountable, prohibit damaging strikes, and bar advocacy for critical race theory. The Act also seeks to end taxpayer subsidies for the NEA.
