Congress sends landmark gun violence compromise to Biden
The House sent President Joe Biden the widest rangingĀ gun violence billĀ Congress has passed in decades Friday, a measured compromise that at once illustrates progress on the long-intractable issue and the deep-seated partisan divide that persists.
The Democratic-led chamber approved the election-year legislation on a mostly party-line 234-193 vote, capping a spurt of action prompted by voters’ revulsion over last monthās mass shootings inĀ New YorkĀ andĀ Texas. TheĀ Senate approved the measure late ThursdayĀ by a bipartisan 65-33 margin.
Every House Democrat and 14 Republicans ā six of whom won’t be in Congress next year ā voted for the measure. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., underscored its significance to her party by taking the unusual step of presiding over the vote and announcing the result from the podium, to huzzahs from rank-and-file Democrats on the chamber’s floor.