Topline
The Senate voted 65-34 early Thursday afternoon to limit debate on a bipartisan gun control bill, with nearly a third of Republican senators siding with their Democratic colleagues to break the filibuster, setting up a final vote that could come as early as Thursday evening.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 8, 2022.
Key Facts
Debate time has been capped at 30 hours, setting up a deadline of around 6 p.m. Friday for a final vote, though several senators, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), have voiced support for taking up a vote much sooner.
All 50 Democratic senators voted to advance the bill, joined by 15 Republican senators: Roy Blunt (Mo.), Richard Burr (N.C.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), Bill Cassidy (La.), Susan Collins (Maine), John Cornyn (Texas), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mitt Romney (Utah), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Pat Toomey (Pa.) and Todd Young (Ind.).
Fourteen of the Republicans voted “yes” in a procedural vote Tuesday to begin debate—Toomey was not present for the earlier vote.
Surprising Fact
The 15 GOP senators moved forward with supporting the bill even after former President Donald Trump repeatedly slammed calls for gun control, at one point labeling it a “grotesque effort.” Trump called Republican support for the bill “CAREER ENDING” in a Thursday morning post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Key Background
A small bipartisan group of senators who negotiated the legislation released the text of the bill Tuesday. The bill proposes new federal grants to encourage states to enact red-flag laws, enhanced background checks for gun buyers under 21 and the closure of the “boyfriend” loophole, which had allowed some nonspousal domestic abusers to keep gun ownership rights. The negotiations were sparked by a series of mass shootings across the U.S., culminating in a massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24 that left 19 children and two teachers dead. If passed and signed into law—which President Joe Biden said he plans to do—the bill would represent the most significant action the federal government has taken on gun control in decades.
What To Watch For
The bill will head to the Democratic-controlled House after passing the Senate, but it’s expected to have little Republican support in the chamber. House GOP leadership is formally whipping against the bill.
Further Reading
Trump Slams Gun Control Bill—But Senate Republicans Likely To Pass It Anyway (Forbes)
Trump Demands ‘Impenetrable Security’ At Schools Following Texas Massacre—But No Gun Control (Forbes)
Senators Strike Deal On Gun Control Bill—Here’s What May Change (And What Won’t) (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/06/23/these-15-republican-senators-break-filibuster-on-gun-control-bill-final-passage-all-but-certain/