Pelosi and Schumer Align with Trump on Firearms Background Checks

Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer warned President Donald Trump on Sunday that any firearms legislation that does not meet the universal firearms background check criteria "would lead to not ", complicating the delicate negotiations between the president and a group of senators.

Trump has discussed with Senators from both parties a bill that would expand background checks, but would not go as far as the legislation passed by the House that would apply them to all sales. firearms with some limited exceptions. Trump has threatened to veto the House's background checks bill earlier this year, and few congressional Republicans support it.

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But during a conversation with Trump on Sunday morning, the Speaker of the House and the Senate minority leader told Trump that they were taking a much harder stance than the grassroots senators involved in the discussions. .

"This morning, we have made it clear to the President that any proposal that he approves that does not include the universal background checks bill passed by the House will not do the job, because Dangerous loopholes will subsist and people who should not have weapons always have access, "said Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Schumer (DN.Y.) in a joint statement.

The two leaders said they had promised to join Trump "for a historic signing ceremony at the Rose Garden" if the president approved the bill and leaned on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky .), To get it adopted "in order to save as many lives as possible."

Trump is still pondering what he will include in a firearms package that Congressional Republicans eagerly anticipate, and which could also include new legislation on so-called "red flag" laws – allowing for a intervention to remove firearms from those who may be dangerous others – as well as straw purchases and domestic terrorism.

Trump's boldest plan is one that would extend background checks to private sellers currently exempt from background checks, a move advocated by Sense. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) And Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). The GOP is generally opposed to such a proposal, but several Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Mike Braun of Indiana, have expressed interest in these discussions.

Trump remains the key and he has kept senators in anticipation for weeks now. Murphy says that he thinks Trump could see a political advantage in reaching an agreement.

"He clearly understands the background check policy," Murphy said in an interview Friday. "His political antenna is very precise, at least on the question of background checks and their popularity."

It will be a challenge to rally the Democrats so that they support a bill on background checks that does not correspond to universal verifications, especially given the left-wing nature of the presidential primary and the discussion of Ideas such as the redemption of assault weapons and the granting of firearms licenses.

But Murphy seemed optimistic about the use of the Manchin and Toomey bill starting in 2013. "Manchin-Toomey must be the setting. … I do not think you can get Democratic votes for something that is fundamentally inferior to Manchin-Toomey, "said Murphy.

Pelosi and Schumer ask for much more, which Republicans say they do not want to accept. Toomey expressly stated that Schumer and Pelosi were useless in their background check rhetoric, and a number of GOP Senators involved in the discussions suggested that some Democrats would prefer Republicans to assault the issue in the elections of the year. next to an agreement with Trump.

"I'm focusing more on Murphy because he's more liberal and you might think he would not be willing to compromise to keep the political issue. Because that's where some people are on this issue, "said Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio). "It's not his approach."

Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.