Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) made a bipartisan call Tuesday for the Senate to vote on background check legislation, just days after two back-to-back mass shootings killed at least 31 people.
The bill, H.R. 8, passed the House in February but was never brought to a vote in the Senate, which is controlled by GOP Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
"We're saying to Leader McConnell: do the right thing," Minority Leader Schumer said at a press conference, alongside King, at a Walmart near New York City.
Over the weekend, two seperate mass shootings killed at least 22 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas and nine people in an entertainment district in Dayton, Ohio.
"If anything good can come from the horrible tragedies of this weekend, it would be if we can get this legislation passed," King said. "This should not in anyway be a partisan issue."
The plea for a vote came a day after President Trump's live address to the nation in which he called for "real, bipartisan solutions" to gun violence.
H.R. 8 — formally titled the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 — won passage with a vote of 240 to 190, including support from eight Republicans. The bill would establish universal background check requirements for firearm sales and transfers, and specifically make it harder for those with criminal records and mental illnesses from obtaining a gun.
"McConnell has had 200+ days to pass gun laws & save lives. On average 100 Americans are fatally shot every day as the Senate fails to act," the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety said on Twitter. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence also urged the Senate "to be on the right side of history" and schedule a vote.
In a statement on Monday, McConnell said that "Senate Republicans are prepared to do our part" in response to Trump's call, adding that "partisan theatrics and campaign-trail rhetoric will only take us farther away from the progress all Americans deserve."
Schumer and King both said that they believe the bill, which King co-sponsored, would pass the Senate if it is brought up for a vote.
"It is essential that Leader McConnell brings this to a vote," King said. "He doesn't have to support it, he doesn't have to get behind it. Just let it come to a vote."
"It is a piece of paper," Schumer said as he held up the bill on Tuesday. "But it is a piece of paper that can save lives."
With the Russian invasion of Ukraine raging on, millions have turned to TikTok to stay up-to-date on the latest developments and get a first-hand look. The social media platform has been so prominent that the war has been dubbed "the first TikTok war" by many publications — and even the White House has taken notice. The Biden administration held a virtual briefing with 30 social media creators to discuss their role in communicating to their followers by countering what it deems as being misinformation. Ellie Zeiler, an 18-year-old TikTok star who attended the briefing, joined Cheddar to talk about the conference and her responsibilities as a social media creator. "How could you not be a little nervous or scared when you're getting your information and media all from this app? But also then you think back to, I guess, when media was changing between newspapers and TV, and I'm sure people were nervous about that too," she said. "So the fact is, is that people do really look to Tiktok and social media for their news."
U.S. markets closed the day at session lows as the Dow marked its fifth straight week of losses. Investors continue to weigh inflation and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and growing economic risk factors. George Seay, CEO of Annandale Capital, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
U.S. stocks ended Thursday's session lower as new CPI data show inflation continues to rise and the Russia-Ukraine war continues. Philip Palumbo, founder, CEO, & Chief Investment Officer of Palumbo Wealth Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
It's been an eventful past few weeks for the WNBA. One of the league's top players, Brittney Griner, remains in Russian custody after being detained at an airport last month. The league is also dealing with a scandal after fining a team for providing charter flights to their players. Emily Caron, sports business reporter for Sportico, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
School nutrition experts warn that millions of children could go hungry as soon as this summer, after Congress excluded waivers that would extend universal lunch for children in school from the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill. Cheddar News speaks with Jessica Gould, chair of the public policy and legislation committee at the School Nutrition Association, about the issue.
The ongoing semiconductor chip shortage has been impacting everything from the purchase of cars to smartphones. Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves spoke with Cheddar about the Biden administration's efforts to combat the issue and if the current crisis in Ukraine will have any impact on the global supply chain problems for semiconductors. "We're working very closely with all of our partners and allies around the globe, just as we have on the export controls and sanctions that we've applied to Russia to deal with that needless aggression," he said. "We're also working with them on the challenges of raw materials for a range of industries, including the semiconductor industry. We believe that we are going to be able to meet the demand for the for the near term."
Deputy Commerce Secretary Don Graves spoke to Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo about the ongoing semiconductor shortages and the push from the Biden administration to cover the supply chain problem as well as look ahead to future-proofing it.
President Maxx Fenning and Vice President CJ Walden of PRISM, a Florida non-profit providing resources for LGBTQ youth, joined Cheddar News to discuss the negative repercussions of a Florida bill banning discussions of sexuality and gender identity in some classrooms.
