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Bell, Graves Introduce Bipartisan TUTOR Act to Block Foreign Adversaries from Pentagon Tutoring Contracts

Monday, June 16, 2025

Washington, D.C.— U.S. Representatives Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and Sam Graves (R-Mo.) introduced the TUTOR Act, bipartisan legislation to prohibit the Department of Defense from contracting with online tutoring companies owned or controlled by foreign adversaries.

The Turning Untrusted Tutoring Origins Away from Resources Act of 2025, or TUTOR Act, would amend current law to prohibit the Department of Defense from contracting with any tutoring service owned or controlled by a "country of concern" — including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

"Military families deserve high-quality educational support without the risk of foreign surveillance or political interference," said Congressman Bell. "There’s no reason the Pentagon should be writing checks to companies controlled by hostile regimes. This bill is about protecting our national security and our students at the same time."

“Our service members dedicate their lives to protecting us from foreign threats, so why would we educate their children using tutoring services owned by Iran, North Korea, Russia, or China?” said Congressman Graves. “It makes absolutely no sense and we need to put a stop to it. I’m proud to join with Congressman Bell to introduce the Tutor Act, which ensures these foreign threats have no role in educating the children of our servicemembers.” 

The bill comes in response to growing concerns that hostile foreign governments are using access to American students and military families for surveillance, propaganda, or influence operations. The legislation would apply to both current and future DoD contracts with foreign-owned companies providing online tutoring services.

Read the full bill here.

 

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