The first school district police officer to confront the gunman who stormed the Santa Fe High School campus in May 2018 has been denied a federal benefit. The denial comes after retired officer John Barnes spent years waiting for an answer from the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB).

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz is urging the Department of Justice to make a decision on whether former Santa Fe ISD police officer John Barnes is entitled to certain federal benefits. Barnes was the first to confront the gunman during the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in 2018.

U.S. Rep. Randy Weber and Sen. Ted Cruz have introduced the Officer John Barnes Act to set a 270-day deadline for deciding claims filed with the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program. This legislation aims to eliminate long waits for first responders like Officer John Barnes, who has been waiting years for his benefits after being critically injured in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting.