ALSOBROOKS, VAN HOLLEN, WYDEN, FROST INTRODUCE BILL TO REVERSE GUN SILENCER TAX CUTS AND USE IT TO PAY FOR HEALTH CARE

December 16, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC - As reported in Politico's Morning Tax, Senator Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), alongside Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Congressman Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.-10), introduced the Medicare Investment and Gun Violence Prevention Act, which would repeal the horrific gun tax cuts, including on silencers and sawed-off shotguns included in the "One Big Beautiful Bill," and repurpose the funding to Medicare - which would equal $1.7 billion over the next decade.

Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Colo.-02) has cosponsored the Medicare Investment and Gun Violence Prevention Act in the House of Representatives.

"This legislation is a 2-for-1 response to Republicans driving up health care costs and letting guns invade our communities. When Republicans snuck in tax cuts to the Big Ugly Bill on gun silencers and short-barreled rifles, they made their position clear: guns matter more than Americans' lives. At a time when health care costs are skyrocketing, and just days after yet another tragic school shooting, now is the time to act. Our bill will repeal the unnecessary tax cuts on deadly weapons and use the money saved for Americans' health care, which has been decimated by Republicans," said Senator Alsobrooks.

"While an endless cycle of gun violence continues to tear apart communities across our nation, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress are gutting Americans' health care to pay for handouts for their billionaire buddies, including the gun industry. With this legislation, we're reversing a reckless gun industry tax giveaway and redirecting that funding towards strengthening Medicare and protecting public health," said Senator Van Hollen.

"In a bill that was chock full of right-wing handouts, the tax break Republicans created for sawed-off shotguns and silencers might be the most ridiculous. Repealing it and plowing that money back into health care is a no brainer," Senator Wyden said.

"Trump's so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" doesn't just slash life-saving programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and Medicare-it also makes our communities less safe by subsidizing silencers and sawed-off shotguns, weapons that make mass shootings deadlier and harder to stop. At a time when our country has seen more mass shootings than days in the year, and as seniors and families face rising health care costs, this legislation reverses these tax cuts and puts people's health, safety, and well-being above the profits of the gun industry," said Congressman Frost.

"This summer, Republicans passed a provision in the dead-of-night that eliminated excise taxes on firearm silencers. This change is devastating to public safety and greatly impedes law enforcement efforts to keep our communities safe," said Congressman Neguse. "Today, alongside my colleagues Senator Alsobrooks and Representative Frost, we've introduced a simple bill that reverses this policy and reinforces the long-maintained regulations for firearm silencers under the NFA - because the American people and our law enforcement deserve better."

"This bill reverses a dangerous giveaway to the gun industry by restoring long-standing National Firearms Act taxes on silencers and sawed-off shotguns-safeguards that have been in place since the NFA was enacted in 1934," said Po Murray, Chairwoman of Newtown Action Alliance. "The so-called 'One Big Beautiful Bill' erased these common-sense taxes, making the most dangerous weapons cheaper and easier to access. Senators Alsobrooks and Wyden are correcting that mistake by restoring the taxes and redirecting $1.7 billion to Medicare, prioritizing public safety and health care over special interests. Newtown Action Alliance implores Congress to urgently pass this legislation."

"For nearly a century, this nation has sensibly and specially regulated silencers and certain firearms because they pose a severe threat to public safety if placed in the wrong hands. Trump's One Big Ugly Bill gave the gun industry a tax break on NFA weapons, including silencers, that allows them to categorically put profits over people's lives and while also forcing massive cuts to Medicaid and Medicare - further endangering survivors of gun violence and all others who rely on these programs. Brady thanks Senators Alsobrooks and Wyden for their leadership in introducing this legislation to repeal this dangerous tax cut for the gun industry and help ensure access to medical care for survivors of gun violence," said Mark Collins, Federal Policy Director, Brady.

"Gun violence does not end in the emergency room; it often results in lifelong injuries and disabilities that place lasting demands on our health care system. Redirecting these funds to Medicare recognizes the real, long-term costs of violence and puts public dollars toward care, not weapons," said Karen Herren, Executive Director, Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.

Read full text of the bill here.

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