There’s a report out today indicating that Trump will not support the House Democrat bill on universal background checks, which is a very good thing:
POLITICO – President Donald Trump will not consider the House-passed universal background checks bill as part of his proposed gun package, according to a source familiar with the conversation on guns.
Trump’s position on the House-passed bill is not exactly a surprise. The White House issued a veto threat against the bill in February.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have called on Trump repeatedly to bring up the House-passed universal background checks bill. Over the weekend, Pelosi and Schumer issued a statement following a phone call with Trump that anything other than the House-passed bill “will not get the job done.”
I would have never expected Trump to support the House universal background check bill, but nonetheless is it’s good to know it’s DOA.
Trump met again with aides Monday to discuss proposals to address gun violence. The White House expects to release the package of proposals this week but Trump is on a campaign trip to New Mexico and California though Wednesday night. On Friday, he will host an all-day state visit for officials from Australia. His schedule makes Thursday the most likely day, though nothing has been scheduled.
But there are two other bipartisan bills that remain a possibility.
One by Blumenthal and Graham…
While Trump will not support the House-passed universal background checks bill, he could still back a more limited form of background check legislation as well as so-called red flag laws. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who is working on a red flag bill with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that background checks and red flag bills should go hand in hand.
“The two go together — the goal is to achieve both,” Blumenthal said. Both are designed to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.”
Blumenthal added that the White House “is divided and probably the president is divided in his own mind.”
And the Manchin, Toomey and Murphy bill…
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who along with Sens. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), is working on a potential background check proposal with the White House, said Monday that he remains optimistic about the president.
“If he wasn’t going to do anything he would have called,” Manchin said. “He hasn’t called me yet. So I still have hope. I really do. He was very engaged.”
I guess the bill Ted Cruz is sponsoring isn’t on the table? At least it isn’t mentioned here. Hopefully it’s not off the table yet…