The Senate reconvened at 10:00 A.M. and continued work on H.R.3967, Honoring our PACT Act, which would expand the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health care eligibility to veterans impacted by toxic exposures. The upper chamber voted yesterday 86-12 to advance the bill, with all no votes coming from Republicans.
The Senate is also expected to confirm the nominations of Lisa Gomez to be an Assistant Secretary of Labor and Nina Morrison to be US District Judge for the Eastern District of New York.
The House will start voting on gun control legislation today, beginning with H.R. 7910 – Protecting Our Kids Act. Following debate on the House floor, the lower chamber is expected to vote on the package of eight gun control bills that cleared the House Judiciary Committee along party lines last week. House Republican leaders are urging all their members to vote against the measure, arguing it is a “reactionary package” composed of proposals that violate Americans’ Second Amendment rights and hinders their ability to protect themselves. Despite GOP opposition, the legislation is still expected to pass the House, though it is unlikely to win approval by the 50-50 Senate, where 60 votes are needed for bills to overcome a filibuster and advance. In the upper chamber, a bipartisan group of senators have been working on a more tailored plan to curb gun violence, and negotiators are aiming to reach consensus on a measure by the end of the week. Senators Chris Murphy, (D-Connecticut), and John Cornyn, (R-Texas), have been tapped to help lead negotiations, huddling privately with their colleagues and exchanging proposals. Those discussions were expected to continue on Wednesday, as lawmakers aim to reach agreement by the end of the week. While senators continue working to reach common ground on legislation to reform firearms laws, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) said in a Dear Colleague letter Tuesday that the “urgent” package to be taken up later Wednesday includes provisions that will “save lives and give hope.” The Speaker requested all Democrats be present on the House floor for the two hours of debate leading up to the vote in a show of support for the survivors of gun violence and those who have been killed. The Protecting Our Kids Act would raise the minimum age to purchase a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21 years old and ban large-capacity magazines. The legislation also incentivizes safe storage of firearms and establishes requirements regulating storage of guns on residential premises, and builds on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms’ regulatory ban on bump stocks, which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire more rapidly.
The House is also expected to consider nine bills under suspension of the Rules.
