Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, following the devastating shooting in Uvalde just a little over a year ago, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. As we know, this legislation invested in mental health, school safety, and commonsense measures to prevent dangerous individuals--namely, those with mental health problems or with criminal records--from carrying out acts of violence.

Importantly, it did all of this without impacting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. That was a red line. Unfortunately, the Biden administration has misinterpreted a section of this law and is using it as a pretext to defund hunter education and archery programs, which is ironic because one of the things that many people have advocated is, let's teach people how to safely use firearms for recreational or hunting purposes. Yet they want to somehow stop those very programs?

Well, these programs are offered in school districts across Texas and equip students with invaluable skills, including, as I suggested, firearms safety and wildlife management. They are teaching students to be responsible gun owners and good stewards of the environment, something I would think we would all want.

These programs have overwhelming bipartisan support, and Congress had no intention of impacting them or curbing their availability in any way. Members of Congress worked together in good faith to pass this legislation that will build stronger, safer communities. But the fact that the administration is stretching the law--the words of the law-- beyond any meaning that we intended is unjustifiable. When this happens, it undermines the good will between Congress and the White House. It makes it difficult, if not impossible, to legislate on important and contentious issues like this.

The Biden administration is attempting to take creative license with the law, and Congress needs to step in and correct the situation immediately. That is what we are doing today. Senator Sinema, Senator Tillis, and Senator Murphy were my partners in negotiating this Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. We came together with Senator Capito and immediately started working on a new bill to clarify congressional intent on this legislation given the overreach by the administration. We worked with our colleagues on the House side to craft a bill that could pass both Chambers of Congress.

The Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act clarifies that Federal funds can be used to support archery, hunting, and other valuable enrichment programs in schools.

This legislation passed the House yesterday evening by a vote of 424 to 1, an overwhelming show of bipartisanship. I hope the Senate will follow suit today and send this legislation to the President's desk to clarify, once and for all, that the Biden administration cannot ignore the express will of Congress.

This is the Biden administration, not the Biden kingdom. The wishes and whims of the President and his staff do not outweigh Congress's intent. I am eager for President Biden to sign this legislation and acknowledge that this interpretation of the clear words of the legislation that we passed on a bipartisan basis were totally in conflict.

Once again, Congress has reclaimed its right as a separate, coequal branch of government in a bipartisan way to pass legislation that expresses not the will of the staff at the White House or some administrative Agency but the will of the Members of Congress. I am glad the House acted quickly to correct this shameful behavior, and I hope now the Senate will follow suit.

Madam President, I see the Senator from Arizona here on the floor, and I yield to her.

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Mr. CORNYN. 5110, the Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act, which was received from the House.

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Mr. CORNYN. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

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