Ted Deutch: “According to a FOX News poll from March 25, 91 percent of voters want background checks on all gun buyers. Another poll…”

“According to a FOX News poll from March 25, 91 percent of voters want background checks on all gun buyers. Another poll from Quinnipiac last November found that 94 percent of owners in gun-owning households support universal background checks. Yet, as the American people ask for stronger gun laws, the majority would rather talk about mental health instead. That is fine, Mr. Speaker. Want to talk about mental health? The vast majority of people with mental illness aren't violent and are more likely to be the victims of violence than the perpetrators. And more than half of the Americans who need mental healthcare don't get it. We have a mental health access crisis in this country, and gun violence is only a heartbreaking sliver of that problem. Merely 43 percent of psychiatrists accept Medicaid, compared with 73 percent of other physicians. But what does this have to do with the balanced budget amendment we are voting on today? Mr. Speaker, this amendment is an attempt to tie our hands, an attempt to force us to dismantle programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It would force cutting benefits, reducing coverage, slashing payments, or all of the above. The most vulnerable Americans rely on these programs for a secure retirement, to stay healthy, and to make ends meet when a breadwinner is disabled or dies.…”