A U.S. Congressman is working to try and head off a Biden Administration scheme to use Medicaid funds to finance so-called “gun violence prevention” programs.
In September, the Biden Administration announced new executive orders directing federal agencies to advance its anti-gun agenda. Among other measures, the order stated the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will allow states to use Medicaid to pay for counseling on “firearm safety.”
On December 5, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Georgia, announced introduction of the Medicaid Funds Integrity Act, designed to bar federal Medicaid dollars from funding such anti-gun programs.
“Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars have no place furthering the Left’s unconstitutional gun control agenda,” Clyde said in a press release announcing the legislation. “Rather than supporting law enforcement and empowering lawful gun owners, liberal states are determined to divert federal Medicaid dollars to fund false ‘violence prevention’ programs. As responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and relentless defenders of the Constitution, Congress must step in to stop this flagrant misuse of federal funds aimed at infringing law-abiding Americans’ Second Amendment liberties.”
After the filing, some gun-rights groups, including Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), were quick to announce their support for the measure.
“Gun Owners of America is proud to support Rep. Clyde’s efforts with this legislation,” said Aidan Johnston, GOA director of federal affairs. “Programs like this are bound to be weaponized by anti-gun administrations, which is exactly what we saw over the last four years. Gun control has nothing to do with healthcare.”
Hunter King, NAGR’s director of government relations, said the measure is important because it stops Medicaid funding from being used for something other than its intended mission.
“Allowing federal funds to support gun violence prevention programs under Medicaid is a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars, aimed at advancing radical gun control agendas,” King said. “Medicaid’s purpose is to provide vital healthcare, not to fund programs that infringe on Second Amendment rights. Federal resources should be focused on their intended mission, not diverted to backdoor attempts at restricting lawful gun ownership.”
The measure already has 26 original cosponsors, including Representatives Jodey Arrington, Dan Crenshaw, Michael Cloud, Chip Roy and Randy Weber of Texas, Andy Biggs, Eli Crane and Paul Gosar of Arizona, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Ron Estes of Kansas, Bob Good and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, Andy Harris of Maryland, Diana Harshbarger, David Kustoff and Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Mary Miller of Illinois, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, Barry Moore of Alabama, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Burgess Owens of Utah, Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Claudia Tenney of New York.
In his four years in office, Rep. Clyde has been a stalwart supporter of the Second Amendment and American gun owners. A statement on his website shows his understanding of the topic and explains that support quite well.
“The Founding Fathers enshrined the right to keep and bear arms in the Constitution because they understood the first step toward tyranny is disarming the citizenry,” the statement said. “A brief glance through history will show that nearly every totalitarian and dictator rescinded their citizens’ ability to defend themselves before ultimately stripping them of their freedoms.”
