REPORT: Biden Administration Withholds Funding for Schools with Hunting & Archery Programs
The latest attack on hunting and fishing in America
[Scottsdale, Ariz.] – The Department of Education has confirmed it is withholding funding from schools that offer hunting and archery curriculum. These anti-hunting efforts from the Biden Administration follow actions from earlier this year to ban popular ammunition and tackle from being used on federal lands.
“Without the next generation of hunters, the conservation programs that our nation relies on to preserve wildlands and wildlife will be in peril. This is a direct attack by anti-hunting forces via their allies in the Biden Administration,” said Luke Hilgemann, Executive Director for the International Order of T. Roosevelt (IOTR). “The International Order of T. Roosevelt will explore every means possible to block this ridiculous overstep. We must protect our heritage for the next generation.”
“Outdoor education is proven to benefit kids in so many ways including aspects of both mental and physical health,” said Sean McLelland, Executive Director for the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF). “Removing these options from schools strips away a valuable outdoor experience that includes being part of a team, learning the value of practice and competition, and developing a love for wildlife.”
Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation (OTF) began in 1981 as the Dallas Ecological Foundation with the primary purpose of expanding youth outdoor education and furthering wildlife conservation efforts worldwide. Today, OTF operates its Outdoor Adventures program in 1,200 public and private schools nationwide.
In 2023, IOTR and OTF launched a partnership with an aim to engage youth in hunting, conservation, and outdoor activities at a national level. IOTR and OTF work together to provide opportunities for youth to engage in hunting and outdoor activities, as well as educate them about conservation efforts.
On July 10, 2023, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said in a letter that they were recently notified of the Department of Education’s shift in policy. The pair pushed back on the Department of Education, stating: “Using the BSCA as a pretext to shift critical educational and enrichment resources away from archery and hunter education classes was never the intent of the law… The purpose of the Department is to meet students’ needs where they are and support the expansion of learning opportunities, not take them away.”
IOTR is leading the fight against an anti-hunting agenda. The organization launched a six-figure advertising campaign in Florida, Ohio, Iowa, and South Dakota to educate hunters about their vulnerable rights. Florida’s Legislature passed a resolution to amend their state constitution to protect the right to fish and hunt. That resolution heads to Florida voters for ratification during the Fall 2024 election.