Pols do zip, give D.C. slip
RWASHINGTON — Congress is heading out on vacation at the end of this week without getting much done once again, failing to move any gun control and funding to combat the Zika virus.
Gun legislation and the funding for research into a Zika vaccine stalled in the Republican-led House and Senate amid bitter partisan bickering. Now the elected leaders are set to adjourn until September.
Some House Republicans tried last week to move legislation that would allow federal authorities to block gun sales to suspected terrorists — but only if they could prove in court within three days that a suspect was planning to engage in terrorism.
The “no fly, no buy” bill went nowhere as conservatives argued it was too restrictive and Democrats said it was ineffective.
The move was in response to last month’s Orlando shooting in which 49 people were killed. House Democrats staged a 25-hour House floor sit-in two
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weeks ago to demand gun control votes, leading House Republicans to consider a vote on an NRAbacked alternative to “no fly, no buy” legislation. But they couldn’t even bring that up after objections from their most conservative members.
Republicans said Tuesday that no votes are expected before the House adjourns for seven weeks.
Rep. Bill Flores (R-Tex.) said rather than trying to legislate on the gun issue, party leaders need to discuss it further.
“The action is to go back to our communities and have a candid conversation about the challenges we face as a country,” Flores said.
House Speaker Paul Ryan (RWis.) said Republicans want “to have a good conversation where we calm things down” after the Orlando shootings — but offered no details on whether any measure would come to a vote after Congress’ summer recess.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) expressed frustration with the House’s inability to get anything done.
“Let’s do something,” he said Tuesday morning, listing guns, Zika, funding to ease the water crisis in Flint, Mich., action on opioid addiction legislation, student loan debt and jobs as areas that Congress should be acting on.
“We should be staying here in Congress to do our job of making Americans safer and making their economic future stronger, but . . . House Republicans have told us ‘W e’re taking a break.’ ”
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COMMUTER van drivers on Tuesday rallied at City Hall in support of tougher penalties against rogue operators in the largely unregulated service.
A package of Council bills would hike fines and cap the number of new van licenses to let the city conduct a safety study on unlicensed operators.
“We deserve a fair share of the transportation business,” said Leroy Morrison, 51, a van driver in Flatbush.
There are 54 bases running 428 vans in the city.