BREAKING NEWS: Senate Democratic Leaders Tout Attempt To Pass Federal Ban On Bump Stocks

3 months ago

Senate Democratic leaders hold their weekly press briefing.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you.

00:05All right, good afternoon to everyone.

00:08I'm proud to be joined by Senators Murray, Stabenow, and Rosen.

00:13So later today, the Senate's going to have a chance to make our community safer.

00:20That is if Republicans still believe what they said a few years ago.

00:24Martin Heinrich will come to the floor and attempt to pass a federal ban on bump stocks.

00:32I'm also proud to support it.

00:35As you know, the MAGA Supreme Court reversed a Trump ruling to ban bump stocks, a radical

00:41decision that endangers our communities and law enforcement.

00:46Last week's decision is another warning that this MAGA Court is going off the deep end

00:52on issue after issue, aligning with the most extreme elements of the hard right.

00:58I'll let Senator Rosen explain how deeply heart-wrenching this decision is, as she knows

01:04too well.

01:06So today's UC, it's not a life-saving, it's not a simple choice, it's a life-saving one.

01:13I beg our Republican colleagues to truly reflect on the ramifications of today's UC.

01:21On reproductive freedom, yesterday I took the first step for the Senate to vote on the

01:26Reproductive Freedom for Women Act, led by Senator Murray, and co-sponsored not just

01:31by me, but every single female Democratic Senator.

01:35The measure affirms a woman's fundamental right to choose, calls for enshrining the

01:40protections of rowing to law, which most Americans support.

01:45As Majority Leader, I'll work with my colleagues to bring it to the floor as soon as possible.

01:50Our crusade on reproductive rights will continue when we return to session after the July 4th

01:57break.

01:58As we approach the anniversary, two-year anniversary, of Roe v. Wade being overturned, this month

02:04was meant to be one of bipartisanship, when the Senate came together to protect the rights

02:09of millions of Americans' reproductive freedoms.

02:13Could have been a month when both sides came together to pass common-sense legislation

02:17protecting reproductive care, like contraception and IVF.

02:22Could have been a month when we put to rest the worries of millions of Americans across

02:26America enduring attacks on their reproductive freedoms in the aftermath of Roe.

02:32But instead, June has been a month of MAGA Republicans showing their true colors as their

02:38attacks on women, on families, on reproductive rights comes to light.

02:44They were told by some of their right-wing pro-life leadership, keep your mouth shut.

02:50We're going to force them to vote.

02:51If they don't want to talk about it, if they run away from questions when you ask them,

02:55they're still going to have to vote.

02:57And that's what matters most to the American people.

03:01In the last few weeks, Senate Republicans have shown that for all their attempts to

03:06sound moderate on reproductive care when it comes to voting, they choose MAGA extremism

03:11over the American people.

03:16So when Republicans blocked federal protection for contraception a few weeks ago, they chose

03:22MAGA extremism over the American people.

03:25When Republicans blocked federal protections for IVF a few days ago, they chose MAGA extremism

03:31over the American people.

03:33And when Donald Trump to this day continues to brag about working with the Senate Republicans

03:38to confirm three hard right vehemently anti-choice Supreme Court justices to eliminate Roe, that's

03:44choosing MAGA extremism over the American people.

03:48But we're telling our Republican colleagues, you cannot run away from the truth.

03:54Your record on women's health care is outright abysmal, shameful, and out of step with most

04:00Americans.

04:01Senator Murray.

04:02Thank you.

04:03Leader Schumer.

04:04You know, the American people have seen a really sharp contrast when it comes to reproductive

04:09rights over the past few weeks.

04:12Democrats introduced legislation to protect the right to birth control.

04:16Republicans voted no.

04:18Democrats introduced legislation to protect the right to IVF.

04:23Republicans voted no.

04:24And don't forget twice we have tried to pass legislation restoring Roe.

04:29And twice Republicans refused.

04:31So yesterday we introduced a bill that simply says women should be free to make their own

04:37health care decisions.

04:39It couldn't be more basic.

04:40I mean, if you care at all, even a little, about letting women make decisions about their

04:45own pregnancies that are right for them and their families, you should support that bill.

04:50Republicans are probably going to try to spin this, but make no mistake, we are going to

04:54put them on the record.

04:56If Republicans want to call this a messaging bill, well, the message is simple.

05:01Here is who stands for reproductive freedom, and here is who does not.

05:06And if Republicans want to pretend there is no threat to reproductive rights, well, no

05:10one is falling for that shtick.

05:13Not when so many Republicans support extreme fetal personhood laws that treat a frozen

05:19embryo the same as a living, breathing person.

05:23Not when Republicans are listening to quote-unquote experts who think birth control like IUDs

05:29are the same as abortion.

05:31Not when they have written something like Project 2025, which I spoke about earlier

05:36today.

05:37It is a literal plan for Trump to attack abortion nationwide.

05:42And we certainly are not going to let Republicans off the hook when we are already living with

05:47the painful reality inflicted on women by Republicans' anti-abortion extremism.

05:53Truly heartbreaking stories have been making national news ever since Dobbs.

05:58We've seen them all.

05:59We will never forget them.

06:00And as I said at our HALP hearing a few weeks ago, a forced pregnancy does not have to make

06:06headlines to make someone's life a living hell.

06:10This is not going to go away.

06:12If Republicans are going to force women to stay pregnant, we are going to force them

06:17to be honest with the American people about their extreme position.

06:22And Democrats are going to keep fighting to restore the rights the American people have

06:27been so clear that they want back.

06:33Monday is the two-year anniversary of the decision to rip away women's reproductive

06:39freedoms in this country through the Dobbs decision made by the Trump Supreme Court.

06:45So now, at this moment, my daughter has fewer freedoms than I have had.

06:51My two little granddaughters have less freedoms in making their own decisions than I had.

06:59This is serious.

07:00It's not a sideshow.

07:02It's not a side issue.

07:04It's a fundamental issue.

07:05And since the fall of Roe, they've continued their assault, as we've heard, on access to

07:12birth control, to IVF, to severe and total restrictions on abortion.

07:19In fact, today, one out of three women of childbearing age live in a state with extreme

07:27and dangerous Trump abortion bans.

07:31And they want that to be everywhere.

07:35That is the goal, whether it's legislatively or by using a hundred-year-old law to try

07:42to create a way for Trump to do it administratively.

07:47In our state of Michigan, two years ago, we worked really hard.

07:50We put together a ballot initiative, put it on the ballot to protect our reproductive

07:57freedoms in Michigan, to make our own decisions.

08:00And it passed.

08:01Overwhelmingly, it passed, including creating not only a re-election of our governor, Democratic

08:09governor, but for the first time in 40 years, a Democratic House and Democratic Senate.

08:14Why?

08:15Because they wanted to make sure those freedoms were protected.

08:18And the state laws were changed, and it became very clear.

08:23So people in Michigan think we're OK.

08:26But unfortunately, with a national abortion ban or Donald Trump re-elected and doing something

08:32administratively, we're not OK.

08:35Nobody's OK in this country.

08:38Not one state, whether you're in a state that has state laws or a state constitution

08:44protecting your freedoms, or whether you're in a state that does not.

08:49The reality is that none of that will matter.

08:54And every woman in every state is at risk.

08:58So this is an all-hands-on-deck moment.

09:02My colleagues and I have been working with President Biden and Vice President Harris

09:05to protect our reproductive freedoms.

09:09And that's why, frankly, we have been holding the votes that Senator Schumer talked about

09:13in terms of the right to birth control.

09:16Can't believe I'm saying that in 2024, the right to birth control in our country, the

09:21right to IVF to start or expand your family.

09:26And they have stopped us at every step.

09:29And now we're going to see.

09:31The next vote will be on protecting the basic reproductive freedoms for women in this country,

09:38and we'll see where they stand.

09:40For us, we know where we stand.

09:43Democrats are working every day to defend our freedom to make decisions about our own

09:49health.

09:50Not a politician.

09:52Not a judge.

09:55The women of this country should have the freedom to make our own decisions about our

10:00own health, our lives, and our futures.

10:04And we're not going to give up until we have those freedoms fully protected.

10:08Well, thank you, Senators Schumer, Murray, and Stabenow.

10:18But before I turn back to the issue of reproductive rights, I want to quickly address the Supreme

10:23Court's recent decision on bump stocks.

10:27My community, my city, my state were forever changed on 1 October and saying that banning

10:34bump stocks solves a fake problem.

10:38It's disgraceful and it's offensive.

10:41We lost Nevadans that day.

10:4360 people were killed in the largest mass shooting in American history.

10:48Families were torn apart.

10:50For us, the carnage created by bump stocks is very real.

10:56So shame on anyone who says it's a fake problem.

11:02The Trump era ban was common sense and it saved lives.

11:06We now have a responsibility to make it permanent in federal law.

11:10And I call on all of my colleagues to let this legislation move forward today.

11:17Now I'm going to talk about another critically important issue for Nevadans.

11:23Returning Roe v. Wade was just the beginning of the nonstop attacks against reproductive

11:28freedom.

11:30In the years since, anti-choice politicians have pushed and pushed to restrict reproductive

11:35rights and ban abortion, including by passing a national abortion ban.

11:40They want to pass a national abortion ban right here in Congress.

11:45I've lived in Las Vegas for 50 years and I'd bet the House that anti-choice Senate Republicans

11:51will vote to ban abortion nationwide if they're given the chance.

11:55And so just because many of them are suddenly, they're just suddenly changing their tune,

12:00they're refusing to talk about this issue, it does not mean they won't vote for a nationwide

12:06abortion ban as soon as they're given the chance.

12:10So if you believe the extremists who pushed for years to overturn Roe, if you believe

12:14the extremists who said they were 100% life, those same extremists who advocated for state

12:22bans now agree in an election year not to pass a national abortion ban, well, I have

12:29some oceanfront property in Las Vegas to sell you.

12:33None of us here, none of us here will be fooled by their cover-ups of their anti-choice records.

12:41Instead, Senate Democrats are going to keep working to restore Roe.

12:47We'll keep working to protect access to birth control and we'll keep working to protect

12:52IVF for those folks who want to start a family.

12:57And we'll keep fighting to make sure that women and not extreme politicians have the

13:03freedom to make their own health care decisions.

13:07Thank you.

13:08Okay.

13:09Are you ready?

13:10Yes.

13:11The lady over there.

13:12Yeah.

13:13In the flower dress with a lot of colors.

13:14I think it's flowers.

13:16Prime Minister Netanyahu released a video today, very critical of President Biden, saying

13:24it's inconceivable that he held up that piece of the shipment.

13:28Are you at all concerned that he's going to use the venue here of the Capitol to just

13:33criticize the president and Democrats?

13:35Look, first, the administration is reviewing that particular equipment.

13:39And after that, they sent over a billion dollars in aid to Israel.

13:44I've always had four goals in terms of Israel policy.

13:47One, Hamas must be radically reduced.

13:49Two, we must free the hostages.

13:51Three, we've got to provide as much aid to the Gazan people as we can to help them in

13:56the humanitarian crisis.

13:58And fourth, we ought to minimize civilian casualties.

14:01Yes, lady over there with the glasses.

14:04Yeah, you.

14:05She doesn't have glasses.

14:06She doesn't have glasses.

14:09Following the poll vote today and Judge Kassabai, do you have any concerns that Republicans

14:13are ramping up attacks on judicial nominees ahead of the election?

14:17Well, today wasn't only a attendance problem.

14:21We had a number of people out for a number of different reasons.

14:24But we're going to keep moving forward on judicial nominees.

14:26And even when we haven't gotten Republican cooperation, in many instances, while we have

14:31a record number of judicial nominees that we have nominated and put on the bench.

14:36So I'm very proud of that.

14:37Yes, Burgess.

14:38Is it too late, do you think, in this year to pass the House's bipartisan tax deal?

14:44Is that dead in the Senate at this point?

14:46Look, as you know, I supported it the minute it was announced.

14:50I think it's a good bill.

14:51I was very proud that I pushed hard and got into the bill, the low-income housing tax

14:56credit near and dear to me, very important to my state.

15:00Now I'm currently working with Chairman Wyden to try and get something done.

15:05It's not dead.

15:06Leader Schumer?

15:07Yes.

15:08Leader Schumer, there's been a rise in these deepfake videos.

15:11There's an issue with deepfake pornography, which some of your colleagues have introduced

15:15a bipartisan bill.

15:17In terms of it also being a problem with President Biden, with some of these videos being taken

15:22out of context, what can Congress do to try and solve this problem, and how quickly can

15:26you act on it?

15:27As you know, Senator Klobuchar, in terms of the elections issue, has passed a number

15:31of bills out of committee.

15:33One was unanimous, two did have bipartisan support, and we're going to look for a way

15:37to move those bills forward.

15:39Very important bills to us.

15:40Yes, Sahil?

15:41If Republicans block the bump stop you see today, do you expect to bring that bill up

15:45through the regular process on the floor?

15:47Look, we hope that our Republican colleagues will see the light and not block the bill

15:51today.

15:52As I said, many of them were extremely supportive of this when President Trump did it as a regulation.

15:57And I'm just shocked that the Supreme Court, you know, Donald Trump is hardly a friend

16:02of gun safety, but I'm just shocked that the Supreme Court would be even to the right of

16:06him.

16:07I promised Mr. CNN I'd call on you when I didn't answer.

16:10I had a question about the judge, actually.

16:13Well, sorry.

16:14Leader Schumer.

16:15We're going to bring up the judge soon.

BREAKING NEWS: Senate Democratic Leaders Tout Attempt To Pass Federal Ban On Bump Stocks

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