United States Senate Republicans on Thursday rejected to have a debate on a bill that seeks to battle domestic terrorism, including white supremacy, in the wake of mass shootings and a white supremacist attack that killed 10 Black people in New York.
The vote, which ended 47-47, fell short of the 60 affirmative votes required to launch a debate in the 100-member Senate on pa bill that was titled "Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act." The Republican's opposition vote effectively blocked the proposal which would have authorized federal agencies to monitor and report jointly on domestic terrorism within the U.S., including incidents related to white supremacy.
Domestic Terrorism Bill
GOP members argued that the legislation was unnecessary as Democratic President Joe Biden already had the authority to organize his administration's response to violent extremism. On the other hand, left-wing lawmakers said that the bill was needed to bolster the federal government's response to rising incidents of violent extremism.
Democratic lawmakers argued that amendments to any such bill could address potential restrictions on guns. In recent years, mass shootings have provoked discussion in Congress on what to do about gun violence but little has been done as the two parties are deeply divided on gun laws, as per Reuters.
Americans have little confidence in the ability of Congress to solve the problem as a poll on Tuesday showed that just 35% believe lawmakers will act on the issue. The House of Representatives passed the domestic terrorism bill along party lines last week in the wake of an 18-year-old fatally shooting 10 Black people in a live-streamed shooting at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
On Tuesday, a lone gunman stormed a school in Uvalde, Texas, and killed dozens of young children and two teachers. Senate Democrats and some Republicans have already discussed the possibility of bipartisan legislation to address mass shootings, including proposals to expand background checks for the purchase of guns and to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.
According to CNN, the failure of the domestic terrorism bill to pass the Senate underscores yet again the difficulties that lawmakers face in enacting any kind of major policy change in the wake of mass shootings amid a highly polarized political environment and widespread Republican opposition to stricter gun controls.
Republican Opposition
Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger was the only Republican in the Senate that voted for the measure among the GOP when the Democrat-led House approved it. This comes as the Justice Department is investigating the Buffalo supermarket shooting as a hate crime and "an act of racially-motivated violent extremism."
The mass shooting at the Texas elementary school also sparked impassioned calls from Democrats for legislation to counter gun violence. If it passed, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022 would have set up offices specifically focused on domestic terrorism at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the domestic terrorism bill was so important because the mass shooting in Buffalo was an act of domestic terrorism. The official argued that the legislation was needed to address the problem that has plagued the United States for so long, Kansas Reflector reported.
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