It appears Democrats are gearing up for a push to assert federal control over schools and regulate what books they choose to have in their libraries.

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a subcommittee hearing on Thursday to discuss explicit content of books in children’s school libraries.

In what many on the left claim is an epidemic of “book banning,” it is actually an epidemic of pornographic books being distributed to American school libraries, according to witnesses at a House hearing.

Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., said the hearing was necessary.

“Some of my Democrat colleagues will inevitably accuse Republicans of engaging in a widespread campaign to ‘ban’ books because of racial animus or prejudice against LGBT students,” Bean said in his opening statement.

“However, none of the evidence suggests books are being removed for any reason other than inappropriate, explicit content.”

Last month, the Biden administration appointed a book-review czar to monitor local school boards and possibly punish them for not allowing sexually inappropriate books in their libraries. “I see this as a dangerous step and a violation of federalist principles,” he said during the hearing.

The new official will oversee school districts and how they handle including certain books in their libraries.

The Biden administration has hired a new czar to monitor efforts to remove certain books from school libraries across the country as officials continue to face backlash for instances in which sexually explicit and controversial LGBTQ+ books have been present, according to Politico.

Former Obama administration official and non-profit leader Matt Nosanchuk began work in the role this week as deputy assistant secretary in the Office for Civil Rights, and will lead training sessions for schools and libraries on book bans. Nosanchuk’s past work has focused heavily on the LGBTQ community.

“Across the country, communities are seeing a rise in efforts to ban books — efforts that are often designed to empty libraries and classrooms of literature about LGBTQ people, people of color, people of faith, key historical events and more,” an Education Department official said in a Thursday email to reporters. “These efforts are a threat to student’s rights and freedoms.”

Bean is right. The notion that the federal government should be empowered to regulate school libraries is a classic example of overreach. Local communities and, to a lesser degree, state governments should have the authority to decide which books are allowed. Indeed, local governments are far better equipped to determine what is appropriate for children than bureaucrats sitting in D.C.

When the federal government gets involved, it results in one-size-fits-all approaches that neglect local values and norms. Even worse, it constitutes another step in the march toward authoritarianism. It’s a short hop from “recommended reading” to “state-approved doctrine.”

Moreover, the notion that ensuring that kids are viewing appropriate material has nothing to do with “book banning.” Schools have always worked to ensure that they provide suitable content to children. Those railing against “book banning” would quickly change their tune if a school district wanted to furnish pro-Nazi material in school libraries, wouldn’t they? The bottom line is that not all material is appropriate for all age groups, a concept most Americans seem to understand.

Of course, those pushing for the sexualization of children already know this. That’s why they have to lie about it. They are not trying to protect marginalized communities or ensure kids are exposed to differing viewpoints. These people seek only to indoctrinate children into accepting progressive ideology on race, sexuality, and gender identity, which is why they wish to use the power of the state to force schools to carry material that promotes their political agenda.