River Bend Times

Today, Iowa Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) expressed her concern over reports of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) funding trips for students from Muscatine Community School District.

"The Chinese Communist Party’s well-known efforts to infiltrate the U.S. are a massive national security concern. Whether it is buying up farmland in Iowa, spying on Americans or protecting Chinese ownership of TikTok, the long arm of the CCP apparatus will continue their attempts to infiltrate and interfere with U.S. national security interests," said Miller-Meeks.

She noted that Muscatine has a historical and cultural connection with China and Xi Jinping prior to his presidency. While she acknowledged that U.S. engagement with China is necessary given the CCP's aggressive global pursuits, she also highlighted the potential risks involved.

"However, the CCP’s funding of Muscatine Community School District trips to China is also a national security concern and a reminder of the CCP’s widespread influence across the U.S. Without appropriate national security briefings, school systems may be unaware of CCP tactics and the threat they pose to students and U.S. national security. School trips funded by the CCP are a “bridge too far” in cultural exchange," she stated.

Miller-Meeks also mentioned that this isn't the first time that such concerns have been raised about the CCP's influence in educational systems. "The entreaties of the CCP into educational systems is not new. We see it through influence campaigns in the funding of Confucius Institutes on college campuses, which Congress addressed legislatively."

In conclusion, she reminded everyone that this issue extends beyond Iowa or any specific region: "This revelation is a sobering reminder that - no matter whether it is in Iowa or the Indo Pacific – the threat of the CCP is an issue for all Americans.”