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It's been almost a month since double-barreled shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, forced the president, his administration, and Capitol Hill lawmakers into another gun control debate. . And over the past few weeks, Donald Trump has already begun to curb his support for a background check legislation that, as he said, "we have never had before."
"He started moving forward," conceded a White House official, adding that he has not heard the president discuss the subject in recent days with the same urgency or frequency that preceded the aftermath of the shooting. "If the president decides, he'll do a background check today. But that's not how it works, and he loses patience [quickly]. "
Until this month, President Trump has released four tweets dealing directly with the need to further check the history of buying firearms, one less than it's worth. did not do about Diamond & Silk, the "video-blogger" Trump adept that occurs regularly. on Fox News and Fox Business.
Trump's attention span had varied before Congress could even meet again to discuss gun control reform was no surprise. The president promised to tackle the background checks and then drop the idea once the mass shooting that precipitated his apparent interest faded after the news cycle. Two sources close to the president said they spoke to Trump over the past week and have never remembered telling him about his serious attempts to expand the background check.
But for the officials on the Hill, Trump's latest retreat illustrates how quickly he can paralyze the legislative process, even on matters with broad public support.
"Nothing is happening," said a Democratic Senate assistant, who asked to be labeled a "seriously depressed staff member who has experienced too much," said the current state of negotiations. "It's all Trump. Everything is in his hands. Nobody talks to Republicans or their offices. If the president says, "Yes, I want to do it," he gets 85 votes. If it does not, it is not the case. "
So far, the president has not said he wants to "do it". There has been no conversation with Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.V.), the Democratic Party's leading co-sponsor of the most bipartisan background screening legislation, two spoke early last week. White House staff have not had any in-depth follow-up conversations with Senate staff since they have met to discuss Manchin-Pat Toomey legislation, assistants said. And a senior adviser to the Democratic House confirmed that there was not "much movement" on their side of the Capitol.
On August 8, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), told the radio that he had spoken with the President and that he was "looking forward" to working with him for obtain a result concerning firearms. A McConnell spokesman told the Daily Beast that the GOP leader and Trump were frequently discussing, though they did not say they had talked about possible bills in recent days.
A source close to the talks said the Democrats remained willing to work with Trump to reach a legislative compromise on guns. But they are skeptical about the possibility of this happening, aware of its tendency to backtrack after past mass shots. The hope of the Senate offices involved in the discussions is that the White House will ultimately clarify what Trump's proposals can and can not support with respect to firearms legislation and, as a result, will table the table. for possible next steps, depending on the source. familiar with the talks.
But until now, the president has mainly indicated that he was giving up the idea of being able to pass through Congress an expanded bill on background checks. On Sunday, he told reporters that "people do not realize that we have a very good background check", before saying that the problem of gun violence was a "big mental problem". [health] problem."
In case of confusion, Trump added, "Look, I've had a great relationship with the [National Rifle Association]and I will always have good relationships. I have been very good for the NRA. "
Although the gun rights lobby is in an internal turmoil, its influence has not weakened on the hill or in the west wing. The group strongly opposes ongoing efforts to expand background checks and has quickly taken the phone with Trump to reaffirm this position following the two recent mass murders. Since then, more conservative voices, including people closely aligned with Trump, have expressed their disapproval of far-reaching legislation advocated by Democratic lawmakers.
"We already have background checks for all firearms transactions, with the exception of those between individuals. Spending time on this issue is a waste of time for anyone who really wants to help with mass shots, "said Ed Brookover, who was a senior advisor during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign on Monday.
Democratic Hill's aides expect the Republicans to finally pass no laws this time without the NRA's approval. And for this reason, there is growing resistance to the fact that the Senate GOP leaders will eventually impose reforms of the background-checking system that nibble boundaries rather than directly expand the scope of the system. .
Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced one of these bills as a result of the Newtown shootings in early 2013 and were reintroduced in previous years. The bill increased funding for safety measures in schools, criminalized straw purchases and encouraged states to report mental health issues; but that did not really limit the possession of weapons, at least materially. Another possibility is a so-called "red flag law" proposal – which would aim to keep guns from the hands of the most dangerous people – which probably represents the maximum level of gun control that the GOP can get.
But the leader of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Has already said that the Democrats would not "solve" the problem of firearms limited to the laws of the red flag. On Monday, he called Trump's "backtracks" about "heartbreaking" guns and asked McConnell to immediately submit universal background checks to a vote in the Senate. McConnell or Trump did not answer.
"Every reporter called me and told me that the time was different," said Senate assistant for democracy. "I was like, am I missing something?"
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