Republicans filibuster domestic terrorism bill
Talks to continue on guns over Memorial Day break
Lots of talk but no action yet in Congress on gun violence. Democrats turn up their rhetoric on the GOP over guns. And why is Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) mad at his hometown NBA team? This is “Regular Order” for May 27, 2022.
GUNS. Republicans on Thursday voted to filibuster a domestic terrorism bill which Democrats wanted to use as a legislative vehicle for a broader Senate floor debate about gun violence. 60 votes were needed to force a start work on the bill - but the vote ended 47-47.
GRIDLOCK. Democrats were furious. "Inaction is not an option. It will cost lives," said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD). "Republicans refuse to even acknowledge that our weak gun laws are a problem — and abuse the filibuster," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
FILIBUSTER. It wasn't always this way. A temporary ban on assault weapons was approved 50-49 on a vote this same week in 1990. Back then, no one threatened to filibuster - because it was rarely used. I remember running across the Capitol that day, and how shocked we all were at the vote outcome.
GAME PLAN. Democrats have clearly decided to step up their direct criticism of Republicans over the lack of action in Congress on guns. "I refuse to sit idly by and watch our children die in schools because Republicans in Congress will not act," said Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA).
GUN TALKS. Senators left town on Thursday for an extended Memorial Day break saying all the right things about cutting a deal on legislation dealing with gun violence. But while members of both parties talked about finding a path forward, it’s going to take a dramatic breakthrough.
SENATE. "We must find agreement on policies to reduce this senseless violence," said Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), one of the Senators who met on Thursday. Heinrich said he would support a ban on assault weapons - but that's certainly an idea which would struggle to get GOP support.
MURPHY. "We are going to extend a hand of partnership," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who has been trying for years to get something done on guns. "We're going to work our tails off to get that compromise," Murphy told a rally outside the Capitol.
JUNE. But if there's no deal when lawmakers return the week of June 6, Democrats also say they're ready to press ahead with votes - to put everyone on the record. "If these negotiations do not bear any fruit, the Senate will vote on gun safety legislation when we return," Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said.
BIDEN. President Biden on Thursday again called for the Congress to act on a series of gun-related measures - though none of his plans may have a chance of being approved by lawmakers this year. “Congress needs to pass universal background checks, ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” Mr. Biden said.
GUN BILLS. Background checks legislation has been hung up for years in Congress, with almost no Republicans in favor of expanded checks. The idea of banning assault weapons sounds great to many Democrats - but not the GOP. And getting rid of high-capacity magazines encounters the same opposition.
DEMS. This is where it can get tricky for the Biden White House. They want to send a tough message - but they also know that getting anything done will require the help of 10 Republicans in a midterm election year.
GROUNDHOG DAY. None of this is new. Since Sandy Hook in 2012, the same thing has happened. Kids die in school shootings. People come to Capitol Hill asking for action. Nothing happens. More kids die in school shootings. People ask for action. And nothing happens.
SPORTS TEAMS. It's not just athletes or coaches publicly pleading for action by the Congress - sports teams are now getting on board as well. The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays used their Twitter accounts on Thursday night to press the case for action on gun violence.
BASEBALL. "The devastating events that took place in Uvalde, Buffalo and countless other communities across our nation are tragedies that are intolerable," the Rays tweeted. "Firearms were the leading cause of death for American children and teens in 2020," the Yankees added.
BASKETBALL. The Miami Heat basketball team held a moment of silence before a Wednesday night playoff game, and then had the P.A. announcer urge fans to call Congress - giving out the U.S. Capitol switchboard number - and ask lawmakers to take action on guns. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) was outraged.
PURCHASE AGE. Both the Buffalo and Texas mass shootings were committed by an 18 year old who had legally purchased an assault rifle. Watch Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) avoid answering questions about why that’s allowed.
NRA. Part of the focus on the Texas school massacre will shift to Houston today, as the National Rifle Association holds its annual meeting. Donald Trump, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and many other Republicans are set to speak to the gathering over the next three days.
NO GUNS. When Donald Trump speaks this afternoon, this National Rifle Association meeting will have a different tenor - because no guns will be allowed in the assembly hall. "Per the U.S. SECRET SERVICE, firearms, firearm accessories, knives, and other items WILL NOT BE PERMITTED," the NRA told members.
GAS PRICES. Senate Democrats never tried to set up a procedural vote this week on a House-passed bill which would try to crack down on gasoline price gouging. Instead, the Senate Commerce Committee approved it's own plan to give the Federal Trade Commission more power to monitor gas price gouging.
BIG OIL. Democrats have tried for months to pin the blame for higher gas prices on the oil industry - but have done little in terms of legislation. That has boxed out Republicans, preventing them from forcing votes on GOP plans to expand domestic energy production.
MIDTERMS. Certainly, high gas prices present a very difficult election year metric for Democrats - with prices well above $4 per gallon. I saw these stickers of Joe Biden added to a gas pump in Florida last week.
LANTERNE ROUGE. The worst performance by an incumbent member of Congress in this week's primary in Arkansas was a bit of a surprise. Rep. French Hill (R-AR) only pulled 59 percent of the vote against Conrad Reynolds, a military veteran who turned 'MAGA' into 'Make Arkansas Great Again.'
LIKE TRUMP. Instead of conceding defeat, Reynolds - like Donald Trump in 2020 - sees nothing but fraud as the reason for his defeat. Reynolds has no evidence of fraud, but it may be his primary defeat coping mechanism.
REGULAR ORDER. On Fridays, we welcome back our weekly subscribers. Support my independent reporting on Capitol Hill with a daily subscription, or give the 'gift of straight news' to someone you know!
MUSE OF HISTORY. May 27, 1920. Lawmakers often talk about reform, but don't always follow through. On this date, the Senate voted to get rid of about 40 standing committees, like the Committee on Revolutionary War claims, which had never been formally wiped off the books. "I think it is very necessary that this reform should be made in the interest of the business of the Senate," said Democratic Leader Oscar Underwood of Alabama. Instead of 11 committees on federal spending, there would be one. The "Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments." The move also capped the number of Senators on major committees at 15. See the list.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:
The House is back next Tuesday.
The Senate meets next on Monday.
President Biden’s daily schedule link.
Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree. Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com
See the full Regular Order archive.
The reason nothing gets done to help prevent school shootings even after such horrible disasters is politicians merely respond to such horrors with their favorite lines on gun policy that they touted prior to the disaster. Never do they explain how the policy they offer would have impacted that particular disaster. Simply seizing the opportunity to promote an existing agenda results in nothing being done.
Change that actually reduces gun deaths is needed and it can only happen when politicians focus on doing the right thing and addressing the real problems without regard to political agendas and re-election. (I don't expect that to happen anytime soon.)
When I was an Army medic I recall one of the doctors explaining what the various doctors do. Residents know everything but do very little. Interns know much less but to everything. And the pathologists know everything and do everything, but too late.
Jamie, in many ways you are the journalistic equivalent of the pathologist. Thanks for what you do. I can't imagine how you keep doing it day after day.