立法者和教育部长米格尔·卡多纳在周二的听证会上同意学生在国家的学校面临许多威胁，但在如何解决一系列文化战争问题上有很大分歧。
教育和劳动力委员会主席弗吉尼亚·福克斯在听证会前一天对美国广播公司新闻说:“我们认为部长没有遵守第九条下的国会意图。”“第九章旨在确保妇女和女孩在体育运动中得到公平对待。”
随着听证会的进行，共和党成员就第九条和变性政策向卡多纳提问，他们认为这些政策使女孩容易受到伤害。
众议员伯吉斯欧文斯，R-犹他州，和吉姆银行，R-印第安纳州。，盘问卡多纳有关部门最近的情况对标题九的拟议修改该法案将禁止跨性别学生运动员参赛。
“你认为在这个过程中的任何时候，从高中到30岁，我都有机会与你的女儿拳击或摔跤，与你的女儿竞争，这对我来说是公平的吗?”前职业足球运动员、五个女儿的父亲欧文斯说。
卡多纳回应道，“确保所有学生都能接触到，这是我的责任，也是我的特权。”
2023年5月11日，在华盛顿特区国会大厦，教育部长米格尔·卡多纳在参议院拨款小组委员会听证会上就教育部2024年预算要求作证。
格雷姆·斯隆/美国国家情报保护局
班克斯向卡多纳追问，他是否会把学校午餐带给有需要的孩子，因为学校不允许男生参加女生运动队。
“你支持取消那些不允许男生参加女子运动队的学校的学生的学校午餐吗?”银行质疑。“答案是肯定的，由于本届政府的激进议程，本届政府将取消需要午餐的儿童的学校午餐——这可能是他们可能得到的唯一一顿热餐。”
身为父亲和前校长的Cardona表示，提议的变化没有触及有争议的问题，即学校是否应该允许跨性别学生使用与其性别身份相符的浴室，而不是出生时的生物性别。
“在我们提议的标题和规定中，没有任何东西决定浴室应该如何使用，”他说。
当共和党众议员艾琳·胡钦。当被问及变性运动员在女洗手间脱衣是否构成性骚扰时，卡多纳表示这是一个“问题”，但他表示，他认为“变性女孩应该有机会获得公立学校提供的所有体验。”
“我认为对跨性别学生的骚扰和歧视在这个国家很猖獗，作为一个部门，我们正在提议制定法规，以确保所有学生都因其身份而受到重视，并获得相同的参与机会，”卡多纳说。
班克斯声称，该部2021年初的指导包括关于种族的有争议的材料，但该部删除了其中一些。
“我只是希望你能告诉我们你反悔了，因为最终，你得出的结论是，教我们的孩子批判种族理论或“1619项目”和Ibram X Kendi教的一些垃圾是不合适的。但显然，你今天不想告诉我们这些，”他说。
Cardona说他想远离有争议的话题。
部长还回答了关于新冠肺炎疫情关闭学校的批评。加利福尼亚州共和党众议员凯文·凯利(Kevin Kiley)就疫情时代的疫苗授权和加利福尼亚州长期学校关闭向卡多纳施压。
“这是美国现代史上最严重的政策失败，”凯利说。
一些共和党人向卡多纳询问联邦调查局对参加学校董事会会议的家长的调查2021年10月的备忘录司法部长梅里克·加兰谴责“针对学校管理人员、董事会成员、教师和工作人员的骚扰、恐吓和暴力威胁令人不安。”
“你支持(加兰的备忘录)针对那些出现在学校董事会会议上表达自己担忧的家长吗?”弗吉尼亚州共和党众议员鲍勃·古德问道。
卡多纳回应道，“我相信他们有权做他们认为必要的事情。”
民主党人强调了不同的担忧，认为在枪支暴力的威胁下，学生在教室里不安全。众议员Teresa Leger Fernandez慷慨激昂地呼吁结束使用攻击性武器的校园枪击事件。
“我认为，大多数共和党人拒绝就攻击性武器禁令采取行动是令人心碎和不负责任的，”莱杰·费尔南德斯说。
她说:“孩子们不得不害怕去上学，他们的父母每次送孩子回家都不得不生活在恐惧中，这太荒谬了。”。
卡多纳要求立法者提供22亿美元的资金，作为乔·拜登总统2024财年教育部预算请求的一部分。
Lawmakers, Education Secretary Cardona clash over culture war issues
Lawmakers and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona agreed at a Tuesday hearing that students face a host of threats in the nation's schools -- but differed sharply on how to tackle a range of culture war issues.
"We believe that the secretary is not adhering to the intent of Congress under Title IX," Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx told ABC News the day before the hearing. "Title IX was intended to make sure that women and girls were treated fairly when it comes to sport in particular."
And as the hearing got underway, GOP members questioned Cardona about Title IX and transgender policies they suggested left girls vulnerable.
Reps. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, and Jim Banks, R-Ind., grilled Cardona about the department's recentproposed change to Title IX, which would bar blanketed bans on trans student athletes.
"Would you say it'd be fair for me [at] anytime in this process, high school up until 30 years old, that I had a chance to box or wrestle with your daughter, competing with your daughter?" Owens, a former professional football player and father of five daughters, said.
Cardona responded, "It's my responsibility and my privilege to make sure that all students have access."
Banks pressed Cardona on whether he would take away school lunches to kids in need because the school won't allow boys to participate on girls sports teams.
"Do you support taking away school lunches from kids who go to schools where boys aren't allowed to play on girls sports teams?" Banks questioned. "The answer is yes, this administration would take away school lunches from kids who need that lunch -- maybe the only warm meal they might ever get -- because of the radical agenda of this administration."
Cardona, a father and former principal, said the proposed changes did not touch on the contentious issue of whether schools should allow transgender students to use bathrooms consistent with their gender identities rather than biological sex at birth.
"There's nothing in our proposed title and regulations that determine how bathrooms should be used," he said.
When Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., asked whether transgender athletes undressing in women's bathrooms constitutes sexual harassment, Cardona said it was a "concern" but stated his belief that "transgender girls should have access to all the experiences that public schools provide."
"I believe the harassment and discriminations against transgender students is something that is rampant in this country, and as a department, we are proposing regulations to make sure all students are seen and valued for who they are and given the same opportunities to engage," Cardona said.
Banks claimed the department's early 2021 guidance included controversial material regarding race, but that the department deleted some of it.
"I was just hoping you would tell us you backtracked on it because ultimately, you came to the conclusion that it's inappropriate to teach our kids critical race theory or some of the garbage that "1619 Project" and Ibram X Kendi teach. But apparently, you don't want to tell us that today," he said.
Cardona said he wanted to stay away from divisive topics.
The secretary also answered critiques about school closures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., pressed Cardona on pandemic-era vaccine mandates and prolonged school closures across the state of California.
"This was the most consequential policy failure in modern U.S. history," Kiley said.
Some Republicans asked Cardona about FBI investigations into parents who attended school board meetings followingan October 2021 memofrom Attorney General Merrick Garland denouncing "a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff."
"Do you support [Garland's memo] targeting parents who show up at school board meetings to express their concerns?" Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., asked.
Cardona responded, "I believe that they're well within the right to do what they feel is necessary."
Democrats highlighted different concerns, arguing students were unsafe in classrooms amid the threat of gun violence. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez made an impassioned plea for the end of school shootings carried out with assault weapons.
"I believe it is heartbreaking and irresponsible that the majority of Republicans refused to take action on an assault weapons ban," Leger Fernández said.
"It is ridiculous that children have to be afraid of going to school, that their parents have to live in fear every time they drop their children off," she said.
Cardona asked the lawmakers for $2.2 billion in funding as part of President Joe Biden's fiscal year 2024 Budget Request for the Department of Education.
