GOP blocks domestic terror bill
Dems cited chance to address gun violence after mass shootings
Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked action on a bill aimed at strengthening the federal government’s efforts to combat domestic terrorism, rejecting a measure put forward by Democrats after a racist massacre in which a gunman motivated by white supremacist ideology killed 10 Black people in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket.
Democratic leaders had framed the procedural vote as the best vehicle for quick action on gun violence prevention measures after the elementary school shooting this week in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers.
If Republicans allowed it to move forward, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., the majority leader, said he would open the bill up to proposed changes from both parties to address gun violence.
“It’s a chance to have a larger debate and consider amendments for gun safety legislation in general, not just for those motivated by racism — as vital as it is to do that,” Schumer said, imploring Republicans to allow the debate to open. “I know that many members on the other side hold views that are different than the views on this side of the aisle. So let us move on this bill. Let us proceed.”
But Republicans voted against even considering the measure, arguing that the bill was unnecessary and defined extremism in a way that could be too broadly construed by law enforcement.
The vote was 47-47, leaving Democrats short of the 60 needed to move forward on the bill.
The result is that senators will leave Washington for a weeklong Memorial Day recess without passing any legislation to address the pair of mass shootings that have horrified the nation this month.
The bill that fell short Thursday, known as the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, would establish three new offices — one each in the FBI, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security — to monitor, investigate and prosecute domestic terrorism. It would require biannual reports assessing the domestic terrorism threat posed by white supremacists, with a particular focus on combating “white supremacist and neo-nazi infiltration of the uniformed services.”
It was first introduced in 2017, but Democratic leaders moved to quickly pass it into law after the shooting in Buffalo, in which the gunman appeared to have been inspired by the white supremacist “great replacement theory,” which holds that Western elites are plotting to disempower white people by replacing them with people of color.
The failure of the legislation was no surprise to Senate Democrats. They have staked their hopes for gun safety legislation instead on bipartisan negotiations led by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-conn., that are expected to focus on strengthening so-called red flag laws, which are intended to restrict potentially dangerous people from having guns.
“I’m hopeful there is growing momentum,” Murphy said Thursday. “But I have failed plenty of times before.”