The Archive

POST-UVALDE PUSH

Gun bill clears key procedural hurdle and is on path to passage

Let’s state the obvious here – the Senate’s bipartisan gun control bill is going to pass. It will clear the Senate this week, with a House vote possible Friday or into the weekend.

This is the first significant gun control bill to have a real chance of becoming law in nearly three decades. And it signals the extraordinary pressure Congress is under to respond to the horrific wave of gun violence plaguing the nation. The twin massacres in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo last month were the pivotal moments that spurred lawmakers into action on this package, although the pressure has been building for the last few years.

The bill, authored by Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), passed a key test vote Tuesday night in the Senate. Fourteen Senate Republicans voted to begin debate on the 80-page measure, hammered out during two weeks of bipartisan negotiations. Joining Cornyn in voting to move forward with debate on the bill were GOP Sens. Roy Blunt (Mo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mitt Romney (Utah), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Todd Young (Ind.).

A 15th Senate Republican, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, missed the vote but announced his support for the measure.

A few notable points:

“They’re asking me to proceed on a bill that I won’t even be able to amend,” Rubio said. “I talked to Cornyn this afternoon right after the text came out, and I had some questions. But I think he felt the text would answer them better.”

Rubio added: “I’m open to it. I filed a red-flag bill of my own that I think is pretty strong, and has pretty strong due-process protections.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (S.D.) and John Barrasso (Wyo.) – both McConnell lieutenants – voted no. The “Three Johns” – all of whom want to succeed McConnell whenever he steps aside – made different political calculations here.

Barrasso was pretty clearly going to be a no, but Thune declined to say how he would vote up until he went on the floor

Here’s Cornyn on Thune’s no vote:

We also asked Cornyn about Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) opposition to the package, and whether that’s a problem for him. Cornyn insisted it wasn’t.

In an interview, Thune explained his no vote:

We asked Thune whether he’d spoken to Cornyn on the issue. He said there were “lots of conversations on this.”

Barrasso released a statement outlining his opposition:

What’s next in the Senate? Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture Tuesday night to break the GOP filibuster on the gun bill. Today is the intervening day, which means that on Thursday after the Senate gavels in, there will be a cloture vote.

Following that cloture vote, there are up to 30 hours of debate then a vote on the underlying bill, which means a vote on final passage would take place Friday night. That 30 hours could shrink if there’s a time agreement between the two sides – which could happen with the bill set to pass and the July 4th recess looming. But remember: Just one senator can scuttle a time agreement and force the chamber to run out the entire 30-hour clock.

What’s next in the House? We caught up with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer separately on the Senate bill last night. They both told us they’re hopeful the House will be able to clear the gun control bill this week without altering its schedule. The House is scheduled to leave town on Friday until July 12.

“We’re optimistic that they will pass it and we look forward to passing it here too,” Pelosi said. “I don’t anticipate that we’ll be staying in but we’ll do what we have to do.”

Hoyer added: “We’ll have to see when the Senate bill moves. But if it moves quickly, I don’t know that we have to change our schedule. But we want to move it.”

– Jake Sherman, Heather Caygle and John Bresnahan

PAIN AT THE PUMP

Dems pan White House call for gas tax ‘holiday’

President Joe Biden will ask Congress to enact a three-month “holiday” for the federal gas tax later today. In addition to urging Congress to temporarily suspend the gas tax during the busy summer travel season, Biden will urge states to do the same with their own fuel taxes.

We scooped this news yesterday so we won’t spend too much time on the proposal details – here’s the White House’s fact sheet. Instead, we asked several key Democrats what they think of the idea. And let’s just say it’s clear this proposal doesn’t have the votes to pass the House or Senate.

The White House has been told this. Aides for Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have repeatedly warned the White House in private that there may not be the votes for a gas tax suspension in either chamber. This seems pretty accurate based on our reporting.

Pelosi has repeatedly expressed concerns about the idea, calling the proposal “very showbiz” and saying there’s no guarantee that any of the savings would be passed onto consumers.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is also cool to the idea. Hoyer said it’s clear the White House “wants to be doing something” about the record-high fuel costs affecting most Americans. But this isn’t it.

“I have not been a proponent of the gas tax [holiday],” Hoyer said last night. “There’s no guarantee that the sellers, either wholesale or retail, will reduce their prices. And then, of course, we’ve got to backfill [the Highway Trust Fund]. I just don’t know that it gives much relief.”

House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richie Neal (D-Mass.) told us this:

More Neal: “I’m not committed to it. I want to talk to the speaker about it, and we’re going to go back and forth. I want some assurance that the money is going to go to the consumer.”

And it’s not just the House, either. Senate Democrats have also shot down the idea, including Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Tom Carper (D-Del.).

In a tweet, Carper called a gas tax suspension “a shortsighted and inefficient way to provide relief.”

“We should explore other options for lowering energy costs,” Carper added.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said the price of gas is the only thing that anyone is talking about back home. But he’s not at all convinced that this is the right way to bring relief to American drivers.

“I am for those measures that are going to get relief to people who are getting mugged at the gas station right now,” Wyden told us. He mentioned restrictions on stock buybacks, tax incentives for more productivity and production, and requiring more accurate accounting of profits. Then Wyden said he would be “open to a variety of approaches.”

– Heather Caygle and John Bresnahan

THE CAMPAIGN

Here are our takeaways from yesterday’s elections in Alabama, Virginia and Georgia.

Britt, retiring Sen. Richard Shelby’s (R-Ala.) former chief of staff, easily beat Brooks in the Alabama Republican Senate primary runoff. Former President Donald Trump famously endorsed Brooks in 2021, saw Brooks slipping in the polls in 2022, un-endorsed Brooks and ended up endorsing Britt this month.

Britt’s victory isn’t as simple as Trump propelling his favored candidate to the win. Britt was already ascendant in the polls before Trump backed her.

Kiggans, a retired Navy helicopter pilot highly regarded by national Republicans, easily won her primary and cleared 50% of the vote in a four-way contest. Luria is one of the most vulnerable House Democrats up for reelection in 2022, and we’ll be tracking this race closely.

Vega triumphed over retired Green Beret Derrick Anderson and state Sen. Bryce Reeves in a tight GOP primary featuring six candidates. Spanberger’s central Virginia seat will be one of the most competitive races in the country.

Hunt was backed by a wide range of prominent national Republicans and outspent West. West now advances to the general election against Frontline Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.).

— Max Cohen

INSULIN COSTS

Shaheen, Collins unveil insulin bill

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) unveiled their bill aimed at reducing the cost of insulin. Read the full text here.

Here are some of the bill’s key provisions, according to a fact sheet the senators are circulating:

The insulin bill is a piece of legislation that has stalled for months in the Senate. In March, the House passed a bill capping the monthly price of insulin at $35.

— Max Cohen

MOMENTS

10:15 a.m.: President Joe Biden will get his daily intelligence briefing. … House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries and Vice Chair Pete Aguilar will brief reporters after their weekly party meeting.

11 a.m.: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will hold his pen and pad briefing.

2 p.m.: Biden will speak about gas prices. … Senate leadership will hold news conferences after their party lunches.

3 p.m.: Karine Jean-Pierre will brief.

CLIP FILE

NYT

WaPo

AP

Bloomberg

Politico

USA Today

Sioux Falls Argus Leader