Tuesday 21 June 2022 11:53 PM Bipartisan group of senators announce they have reached agreement on details ... trends now
A group of Republican and Democrat said Tuesday they had finally reached a deal on gun legislation after spending the long weekend working out kinks between the two sides and wrestling with a divisive abortion issue.
More than a week after a bipartisan group announcement agreement on a 'framework' agreement' Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the lead Democratic negotiator, said the final agreement was 'in good shape.'
Top Republican negotiator Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who got booed at the party convention in his home state over the weekend, said he, Murphy and the other two top Senate bargainers had reached agreement.
The group of negotiators - which included Murphy, Kyrsten Sinema, Ariz., on the Democratic side and Sens. Cornyn and Thom Tillis, N.C., on the Republican side, had hoped to have the text of the legislation out by Monday but nothing came through.
It lacks the stronger gun control restrictions that President Joe Biden pushed for, and came together on a day when new details emerged of the failures of law enforcement to confront a mass shooter in Uvalde, Texas.
'This bipartisan gun-safety legislation is progress and will save lives. While it is not everything we want. this legislation is urgently-needed,' said Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer.
'I support the bill text that Senator Cornyn and our colleagues have produced,' said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
He attacked the 'far left' for having 'falsely claimed that Congress could only address the terrible issue of mass murders by trampling on law-abiding Americans' constitutional rights.'
'This bill proves that false. Our colleagues have put together a commonsense package of popular steps that will help make these horrifying incidents less likely while fully upholding the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,' McConnell added.
A GOP source told Politico that negotiators ran into a hiccup over the Hyde Amendment, which bans the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. Republicans have fought to keep the amendment in place while Democrats have tried to undo it.
Cornyn told ABC Tuesday morning that he thought there could be bill text released today, 'hopefully shortly,' but the bill is
