The Controversy Behind Congress's $1 Billion Civics Bill

Civics education continues to be a polarizing issue in American culture. But according to Shawn Healy, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at the education nonprofit iCivics, “the bias in our education system is not ideological.” As Healy sees it, “the problem is that outside of a few pockets, civics education is not universally offered in a high-quality way.”

He hopes that a recent move in the Senate will help strengthen the teaching of civics and U.S. history. On June 14, a group of bipartisan lawmakers led by Sens. Chris Coons and John Cornyn reintroduced the Civics Secures Democracy (CSD) Act, with four additional co-signers: Sens. Angus King, Mark Kelly, Jim Inhofe, and Bill Cassidy.

“As President Lincoln said, ours is a government of the People, by the People, and for the People, but we can’t govern ourselves if we don’t have knowledge of our foundational principles or our history,” Sen. Cornyn said. “This bill would help our schools inspire the next generation of public servants and teach all young Texans the value of freedom.”

Sen. Coons added, “By making historic investments in the history and civics education of our children, we will help ensure that the next generation of Americans have the tools they need to be good neighbors and citizens.”