Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Biden: Obama team not giving up on gun legislation [View all]
WASHINGTON -- Vice President Biden said Tuesday the Obama administration will continue fighting for a "rational gun policy," more than six months after a mass killing at an elementary school and two months after a major reversal in Congress.
"The president and I -- our team -- have not given up," Biden said in remarks at the White House.
Biden spoke just hours after the White House released a report, saying it has "completed or made significant progress" on 21 of 23 executive actions that Obama outlined on Jan. 16 as part of a major gun-control initiative.
Still, Biden said, "we need Congress to act."
The Senate blocked a background check bill in April, thanks mostly to the votes of Republicans. Obama administration officials and Senate Democrats are trying to revive the bill by pressuring senators who voted against it to reconsider.
Biden noted that the background check bill had majority support in the Senate, but ran afoul of filibuster rules that require "60 votes for everything." The vice president said some senators who voted to block a debate now wonder if that was "a prudent vote."
While he did not cite specific names, Biden noted that some senators have seen their approval ratings drop since their opposing gun vote in April.
"The president and I -- our team -- have not given up," Biden said in remarks at the White House.
Biden spoke just hours after the White House released a report, saying it has "completed or made significant progress" on 21 of 23 executive actions that Obama outlined on Jan. 16 as part of a major gun-control initiative.
Still, Biden said, "we need Congress to act."
The Senate blocked a background check bill in April, thanks mostly to the votes of Republicans. Obama administration officials and Senate Democrats are trying to revive the bill by pressuring senators who voted against it to reconsider.
Biden noted that the background check bill had majority support in the Senate, but ran afoul of filibuster rules that require "60 votes for everything." The vice president said some senators who voted to block a debate now wonder if that was "a prudent vote."
While he did not cite specific names, Biden noted that some senators have seen their approval ratings drop since their opposing gun vote in April.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/06/18/obama-biden-gun-control-newtown-aurora/2434461/
7 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read