Politics

Vulnerable Dems Blast Biden Gun Control Move They Previously Voted For

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Michael Ginsberg Congressional Correspondent
Font Size:

Several Democratic senators up for reelection in 2024 are pushing back against a Biden administration policy rolling back shooting units in physical education classes, even though they all voted for the legislation that made the move possible.

The Education Department confirmed in late July that the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed in 2022, allows it to block federal funding for archery, hunting and gun safety units in physical education classes. The legislation, supported by fifteen Republicans and all 50 Democrats, prohibits federal funding from going to programs that provide “training in the use of a dangerous weapon.” Three Democrats who supported the legislation have since spoken out against the move, which Biden administration told Fox News was required by law.

“Any reduction of federal support by the Biden Administration for these school programs is unacceptable,” Montana Sen. Jon Tester tweeted Aug. 2. He later submitted a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona saying that the department “misinterpreted” the statute. (RELATED: Despite Media Claims, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester Votes With Biden More Than 99% Of The Time)

Independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who caucuses with the Democrats, and Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin also pushed back on the funding cut. A spokesperson for Sinema said that the Education Department ignored congressional intent, while Manchin blasted the administration’s “radical agenda” and “blatant disregard for the law.”

All three senators are facing challenging reelection bids. Manchin, considered the most-endangered incumbent senator, has not yet announced whether or not he will seek a third term representing a state that Donald Trump won by 39 points in 2020. Polls have shown Republican Gov. Jim Justice leading Manchin by as many as 22 points, and the Democrat has pointedly refused to rule out a primary challenge to President Joe Biden rather than returning to the Senate.

Tester, seeking a fourth term, is likely to face off against businessman and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, who has garnered support from the state’s Republican governor, Greg Gianforte; GOP Sen. Steve Daines, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee; and GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke. Tester defeated Matt Rosendale, the then-state auditor and now congressman, by 3.5 points in 2018.

Sinema left the Democratic Party in Dec. 2022 after voting to maintain the filibuster and opposing key left-wing priorities like a $15 minimum wage. Democratic Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego announced his campaign for her seat in January. Pinal County sheriff Mark Lamb has already declared his candidacy on the Republican side, and 2022 gubernatorial candidates Kari Lake and Karrin Taylor Robson are also considering bids.

PREMIUM ARTICLE: Subscribe To Keep Reading

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!

Sign Up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
Sign up

By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use

You're signed up!
BENEFITS READERS PASS PATRIOTS FOUNDERS
Daily and Breaking Newsletters
Daily Caller Shows
Ad Free Experience
Exclusive Articles
Custom Newsletters
Editor Daily Rundown
Behind The Scenes Coverage
Award Winning Documentaries
Patriot War Room
Patriot Live Chat
Exclusive Events
Gold Membership Card
Tucker Mug

What does Founders Club include?

Tucker Mug and Membership Card
Founders

Readers,

Instead of sucking up to the political and corporate powers that dominate America, The Daily Caller is fighting for you — our readers. We humbly ask you to consider joining us in this fight.

Now that millions of readers are rejecting the increasingly biased and even corrupt corporate media and joining us daily, there are powerful forces lined up to stop us: the old guard of the news media hopes to marginalize us; the big corporate ad agencies want to deprive us of revenue and put us out of business; senators threaten to have our reporters arrested for asking simple questions; the big tech platforms want to limit our ability to communicate with you; and the political party establishments feel threatened by our independence.

We don't complain -- we can't stand complainers -- but we do call it how we see it. We have a fight on our hands, and it's intense. We need your help to smash through the big tech, big media and big government blockade.

We're the insurgent outsiders for a reason: our deep-dive investigations hold the powerful to account. Our original videos undermine their narratives on a daily basis. Even our insistence on having fun infuriates them -- because we won’t bend the knee to political correctness.

One reason we stand apart is because we are not afraid to say we love America. We love her with every fiber of our being, and we think she's worth saving from today’s craziness.

Help us save her.

A second reason we stand out is the sheer number of honest responsible reporters we have helped train. We have trained so many solid reporters that they now hold prominent positions at publications across the political spectrum. Hear a rare reasonable voice at a place like CNN? There’s a good chance they were trained at Daily Caller. Same goes for the numerous Daily Caller alumni dominating the news coverage at outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, Daily Wire and many others.

Simply put, America needs solid reporters fighting to tell the truth or we will never have honest elections or a fair system. We are working tirelessly to make that happen and we are making a difference.

Since 2010, The Daily Caller has grown immensely. We're in the halls of Congress. We're in the Oval Office. And we're in up to 20 million homes every single month. That's 20 million Americans like you who are impossible to ignore.

We can overcome the forces lined up against all of us. This is an important mission but we can’t do it unless you — the everyday Americans forgotten by the establishment — have our back.

Please consider becoming a Daily Caller Patriot today, and help us keep doing work that holds politicians, corporations and other leaders accountable. Help us thumb our noses at political correctness. Help us train a new generation of news reporters who will actually tell the truth. And help us remind Americans everywhere that there are millions of us who remain clear-eyed about our country's greatness.

In return for membership, Daily Caller Patriots will be able to read The Daily Caller without any of the ads that we have long used to support our mission. We know the ads drive you crazy. They drive us crazy too. But we need revenue to keep the fight going. If you join us, we will cut out the ads for you and put every Lincoln-headed cent we earn into amplifying our voice, training even more solid reporters, and giving you the ad-free experience and lightning fast website you deserve.

Patriots will also be eligible for Patriots Only content, newsletters, chats and live events with our reporters and editors. It's simple: welcome us into your lives, and we'll welcome you into ours.

We can save America together.

Become a Daily Caller Patriot today.

Signature

Neil Patel