North Carolina 4th grader mails his homework to an 82-year-old congresswoman. What she sent back has his mom calling it a ‘horrific letter’

A 10-year-old boy in North Carolina got a response to his persuasive essay about the benefits of electric cars that left him and his mother feeling upset. The long reply was written by 82-year-old Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx. She not only disagreed with the boy’s proposal but also attacked his teachers and suggested they were indoctrinating him.

According to People, Foxx, a member of the Rules Committee, sent her response to the boy’s mother, who then shared it on Instagram. The mother, Emily Mango, described the tone as “disrespectful, hostile, and unkind.”

The boy wrote his essay for his fourth-grade class, making the case for tax rebates for people who buy new electric cars. Foxx, a strong supporter of conservative policies, disagreed with the proposal and cited six articles from conservative outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and Fox News. She argued that the money for such rebates would come from ordinary taxpayers, including people who may not be able to afford an electric car.

Foxx’s letter went beyond policy disagreement and took direct aim at a child’s teachers

Foxx’s response was not just a pushback on the boy’s idea; it was also an attack on his teachers. She suggested they were more focused on indoctrinating students than giving them a good education. 

Mango posted screenshots of the letter on Instagram, calling it “horrific” and “demoralizing,” and pointed out that Foxx crossed a line by going after both a child and his teachers. North Carolina has seen other troubling incidents involving children recently, such as a daycare worker facing felony child abuse charges over her treatment of kids in her care.

Mango also noted that Foxx’s response touched on her own policy record. She brought up problems at a local high school in Foxx’s district, where parents had to petition the school board for funding to replace the HVAC system, which was causing heat issues and forcing school cancellations. Mango asked Foxx directly what she had done to help the school, noting that it was a Title I school in her own district.

Foxx’s letter included the line, “Ask your teacher to explain propaganda,” directing the comment at the boy regarding the information he had been taught. The letter leaned heavily on conservative media sources to make its case against electric vehicle incentives, framing the debate around government spending and the burden on taxpayers.

Mango, a retired real estate investment professional, said she was outraged by the tone and content of the letter. She felt that a sitting congresswoman responding to a child’s school assignment with political attacks was far outside the bounds of what was appropriate or respectful. 

Consumer frustrations like this have been a growing theme across the state, with locals also voicing outrage over shrinkflation at a popular restaurant making headlines recently. Foxx is a senior Republican member of the Rules Committee, which plays a major role in shaping what legislation comes to the House floor for a vote. 

She has also previously held a leadership role in education policy in Congress, making her comments about teachers and classroom instruction all the more notable given her background in that area.