House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has decided to squash the “assault weapons” ban by Democrat Representative Jerry Nadler.
Pelosi has opted to pull the plug on the project due to the legislation failing to pick up enough votes before the August recess. However, politico reports that Democrats could try to resurrect the legislation after Labor day once lawmakers return to Congress.
According to Politico, the inability to get enough votes for the bill is a direct result of infighting. This has been a significant problem for Democrats, resulting in several other bills being shelved.
As was reported by Politico:
Senior Democrats insist the fight isn’t over. Party leaders vowed to try again when the chamber returns in the next few weeks to vote on their signature healthcare bill, in a brief interruption to their extended August recess. But it’s unclear exactly how Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team will resolve the chaotic scramble that left them short on votes and struggling to hold together a fragile majority. In a perfect storm of pushback, Pelosi and her deputies must confront concerns from progressives, vulnerable centrists and key groups like the Congressional Black Caucus — all with just four votes to spare.
“We have a diverse caucus, and a really slim margin,” said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), a member of Pelosi’s whip team. But as he faces a tough reelection, Kildee said he’s hearing pleas back home for more reinforcement for local police.
“Particularly on legislation that deals with smaller police departments, we’ve got to provide help there,” Kildee added. “There are legitimate questions about accountability we need to address, but the communities I represent don’t have adequate policing, don’t have enough people on the force.”
Passing a policing and public safety package was always going to be a difficult one for Democrats. It took months for lawmakers, led by Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), to land the votes for even the assault weapons ban, an enormous party priority, with several rural Democrats opposed to the measure.
