Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 27 February 2018
Trump says he’s willing to buck NRA; Congress not so sure

LISA MASCARO Congress can accomplish
MATTHEW DALY is passage of the “Fix NICS”
Associated Press bill “it would be an abject
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- failure and a dereliction of
dent Donald Trump de- our duty.”
clared Monday he’s will- At a minimum, Congress
ing to take on the National should approve univer-
Rifle Association over gun sal background checks,
legislation, but Republi- Schumer said, denounc-
cans who control Congress ing “NRA-backed bills that
aren’t so sure. They prefer make Republicans feel
to consider only modest better without meaningfully
changes to firearms limits in addressing the issue of gun
response to the mass shoot- safety.”
ing at a Florida high school. In the House, many Demo-
Congress returned to work crats want to reinstate an
Monday without follow- assault weapons ban that
ing Trump’s lead on any expired more than a de-
of the major initiatives he cade ago.
has tossed into the debate But House Republican
since the massacre at Mar- leaders believe it’s up to
jory Stoneman Douglas the Senate to take the
High School. Despite public next steps, according to a
calls for stricter gun laws, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during the daily news briefing at the top House GOP aide, who
Republican leaders have White House, in Washington, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. spoke only on condition
largely kept quiet after the (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) of anonymity because he
shooting which left 17 dead a meeting with the nation’s one can legally buy a gun. did not mention increas- wasn’t authorized to dis-
and ushered in another governors. “There’s noth- Cornyn, the Senate’s No. ing the minimum age for cuss legislative strategy.
phase in the gun debate, ing to be afraid of. And you 2 Republican, questioned rifle purchases, he wants The House passed legis-
prompted in large part by know what? If they’re not Trump’s proposal to raise to toughen the Cornyn bill lation in December that
the activism of the young with you, we have to fight the age limit for assault with stricter background included changes to the
survivors. them every once in a while. weapons, noting that the checks, a change the NRA background-check system
Over the weekend, Trump That’s OK.” minimum age to enlist in has opposed. as part of a broader pack-
spent time talking to Re- Instead, Senate Republi- the military is 18. “We’re going to strengthen age that stalled in the Sen-
publican House Speaker cans are hoping to consid- “I’m not sure I understand it,” Trump said. “We’re go- ate because it included
Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, er more modest legislation the 21 age. I think there ing to make it more perti- expanded gun rights by
and the White House is in- from Sens. John Cornyn, are better ways to address nent to what we’re discuss- requiring states to recog-
viting lawmakers from both R-Texas, and Chris Murphy, it than just an arbitrary ing.” nize conceal-carry permits
parties for meetings this D-Conn., to strengthen the age increase,” he told The Democrats have long issued by other states.
week. But Trump’s ideas to National Instant Criminal Washington Times. pressed for more sweep- The House package also in-
arm many teachers, lift the Background Check System Trump insisted Monday ing changes toward a uni- cluded a measure to study
minimum age for purchas- (NICS). The “Fix NICS” bill, that sometimes politi- versal background check bump stocks, the devices
ing assault rifles to 21 and similar to one approved last cal leaders need to buck system, including requiring that turns rifles into auto-
impose stricter background year in the House, would the NRA, which builds its inquiries for online and gun matic-style weapons and
checks were falling flat. penalize federal agencies political power by major show purchases. were used in the Las Vegas
“You guys, half of you are that don’t properly report campaign spending and Senate Minority Leader assault last fall, the deadli-
so afraid of the NRA,” the required records used to motivating gun rights sup- Chuck Schumer of New est mass shooting in U.S.
president said Monday at determine whether some- porters to vote. Though he York said Monday that if all history.q

Supreme Court declines to decide fate of ‘Dreamers’ just yet

By JESSICA GRESKO in Congress have hit a it moved quickly because
Associated Press stalemate. The Supreme we’d like to help DACA.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Court’s decision for now to I think everybody in this
Supreme Court on Mon- stay out of the case on the room wants to help with
day rejected the Trump Obama-era Deferred Ac- DACA,” he said to visit-
administration’s highly un- tion for Childhood Arrivals ing governors. “But the Su-
usual bid to bypass a fed- program, or DACA, wasn’t preme Court just ruled that
eral appeals court and get surprising. It’s highly unusual it has to go through the nor-
the justices to intervene in for the Supreme Court to mal channels.”
the fate of a program that hear a case before a lower DACA has provided pro-
protects hundreds of thou- appeals court has consid- tection from deportation
sands of young immigrants ered it. and work permits for about
from deportation. But DACA supporters hailed 800,000 young people who
The announcement means the decision as a significant came to the U.S. as chil-
the case affecting “Dream- The Supreme Court in Washington, at sunset. The Supreme — if only temporary — win. dren and stayed illegally.
ers” will have to work its way Court is hearing arguments in a case that could deal a painful Trump said the case would In September, Trump ar-
through the lower courts financial blow to organized labor. now be heard by an ap- gued that President Barack
before any Supreme Court (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) peals court and “we’ll see Obama had exceeded his
ruling is possible. The case if Congress takes action in Right now, however, ef- what happens from there.” executive powers when he
could also become moot the meantime. forts to address the issue “You know, we tried to get created the program.q