Senate Republicans have given their response to the mass shooting of 19 children, and it was to vote to block debate on gun legislation.
Every Senate Republican Votes Against Gun Debate
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. tried to nudge Republicans into taking up a domestic terrorism bill that had cleared the House quickly last week after mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and a church in Southern California targeting people of color. He said it could become the basis for negotiation.
But the vote failed along party lines, raising fresh doubts about the possibility of robust debate, let alone eventual compromise, on gun safety measures. The final vote was 47-47, short of the 60 needed to take up the bill. All Republicans voted against it.
It is impossible to express surprise over this result. Senate Republicans blocked legislation after children died at Sandy Hook and Parkland. When a political party is already bathed in the blood of children killed in school shooting, nineteen more dead bodies doesn’t mean anything.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is going to force votes on multiple pieces of gun legislation, but everyone already knows how those votes are going to turn out.
If Republicans won’t allow debate on provisions of the domestic terrorism bill that relate to gun violence, they aren’t going to vote for common-sense gun measures.
Senate Republicans have spoken, and the voters will their chance for a rebuttal in November.
Mr. Easley is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
