A number of Senate Republicans are making a rare break with the National Rifle Association (NRA) over a significant gun safety measure that has drawn the ire of the nation’s preeminent gun group. As calls for gun reform have reached a fever pitch nationwide in recent weeks, a band of Senate Republicans have voiced support…
Author: Aris Folley
House subcommittee approves nearly $7B bump to EPA, Interior funding
House appropriators on Tuesday considered more than $100 billion in proposed government funding legislation, including investments in clean energy and climate efforts, as well as spending boosts for arts and humanities. Negotiators passed the annual Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill out of its respective subcommittee on Tuesday afternoon, sending the bill to the…
Two Republicans vote with Democrats to advance Biden guns nominee
President Biden’s nominee to head up a key agency tasked with reducing gun violence has cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate, paving the path forward for a potential confirmation vote in the days ahead. The Senate voted 52-41 on Thursday afternoon on a motion to discharge Steve Dettelbach, whom Biden nominated earlier this…
Dems eye marijuana bill as vehicle for justice measures
Senate Democrats are eyeing a cannabis banking bill that has bipartisan support as a potential vehicle for long-sought restorative justice measures. Prominent Democrats have been pushing to pass the SAFE Banking Act, which would enable legally operating cannabis firms to use banking services, as part of a larger China competition package being conferenced in…
Cornyn asks GOP colleagues to keep ‘powder dry’ in gun talks
GOP senators, by and large, are holding off on taking public positions on the emerging Senate gun violence bill at the request of Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), the lead Republican negotiator. Cornyn wants to keep his GOP colleagues on the sidelines for the moment so he has a chance to negotiate a bill before the…
Schumer firms up gun negotiation deadline but talks may take longer
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday he would give negotiators until the end of the week to strike an agreement on gun violence-related legislation even as some senators say they’ll need more time than that. Schumer said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told him that he expects to come to an agreement with Sen….
Senate GOP signals an openness to talking about gun legislation
Senate Republicans are signaling an openness to talks with Democrats on gun violence in the aftermath of back-to-back mass shootings. As pressure builds around gun reform on Capitol Hill following the shootings, Republican leaders have encouraged talks exploring a potential bipartisan course of action amid discussion on measures ranging from “red flag” legislation to background…
Mass shootings put focus on Democrats’ push to confirm Biden’s guns nominee
Back-to-back mass shootings in New York and Texas have cast a spotlight on a Senate battle to approve a leader for a key agency aimed at reducing gun violence. Senate Democrats on Wednesday cited the violence in a Judiciary Committee hearing while pushing for the confirmation of Steve Dettelbach, President Biden’s nominee to head up…
Two years after George Floyd’s murder, frustrations growing
Two years after George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer, the nation is struggling to deliver progress on a host of issues critical to race, policing and inequality in American life. Floyd’s killing reverberated throughout the country, leading to protests for change not only in how police in the nation operate, but on…
Baby formula bill faces rocky terrain in Senate
Emergency funding legislation aimed at addressing the infant formula shortage is facing rocky terrain in the Senate, as Republican leaders are reluctant to say if they’ll support the Democratic-backed legislation that swiftly passed the House earlier this week. Senate Democrats are pushing for speedy action on the bill, calling it a critical first step by…