The Democratic left has long controlled the public education system through the federal bureaucracy, state education organizations, and teacher’s unions, and they have increasingly used that power as a means of propagandizing our children into accepting only their ideology.

That said, the Biden administration is pressing this built-in advantage in ways that further erode and undermine parents, as evidenced by testimony given to a House committee this week by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

During testimony, Cardona suggested that Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) wanted to exclude children from any extracurricular activity after he asked for the secretary’s view on whether he believes biological boys should be competing against biological females, according to a video clip posted to social media.

Banks asked Cardona whether the Biden administration supports “biological boys competing against girls in sports?” He also questioned whether Cardona believed such policies were in “direct conflict” with Title IX policy.

“Sir, I see where your questions are going, and I’m going to be very clear with you — our transgender students need to feel supported, included, and seen,” Cardona said. “And, your line of questioning is, even by describing it the way you’re doing it, shows me that you don’t believe that all students should have access to the extracurricular activities that schools provide.”

WATCH:

NEW: Cardona refused to recognize biological sex, said transgenders should be able to compete against girls and said there are “sensitive issues” where children should feel safe at school when asked if schools should be able to hide a child transitioning from their parents pic.twitter.com/PwUtajlcP1

— Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) May 26, 2022

Banks then pursued another line of questioning, asking Cardona whether the Biden Department of Education believes that school districts ought to keep a “child’s involvement in gender transition a secret from their parents?”

Without directly answering, Cardona said that while parents and schools must work in tandem, he then insinuated that in some instances, school officials should work instead one-on-one with students regarding “very sensitive” issues.

“Parents and schools must work together to support students. … We want parent engagement,” Cardona said. “Schools should be partnering with parents in communication and there are times when schools are working in supporting students on issues that are very sensitive.”

WATCH: Education Secretary @SecCardona refuses to answer a question by @RepJimBanks about whether or not parents should be kept in the dark if their child is undergoing a gender transition at school. pic.twitter.com/kYMCWZd6Qr

— Jeremiah Poff (@JJ_Poff) May 26, 2022

In a statement to the Daily Caller, Banks said he would “not be intimidated” by Cardona’s accusations that he doesn’t care about children just because his policy preferences do not line up with those of the Biden regime.

“Anytime the Biden administration is forced to answer for their radical agenda, they resort to insults and slander,” Banks said. “Whether it’s fighting for border security, voter ID laws, or protecting the rights of parents and biological women, I will not be intimidated by these absurd accusations and I will not back down.”

Meanwhile, Erika Sanzi, the outreach director for the parent organization Parents Defending Education, told the outlet that Cardona’s use of the word “safe” appeared misguided.

“[Cardona] repeatedly uses the word ‘safe’ but educators are mandatory reporters with a legal obligation to report when they believe that a child is unsafe in their home,” Sanzi said. “Is he in favor of calling child protective services on every parent who doesn’t immediately affirm their child’s gender identity and sign them up for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and the removal of their healthy breasts?”