Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, the Democratic Party’s chief negotiator on a pending gun violence package, told reporters Tuesday afternoon that an agreement had been reached on the legislative text – and that the bill would be released soon.
“We have an agreement and the text will be out very soon,” Murphy said before going to the Senate to chair.
Murphy declined to give a specific time on when the bill would be presented before what leaders signaled would be a quick vote.
A bipartisan group of senators has been working behind the scenes for days to turn the pre-announced legislative framework into a specific bill that retains enough Republican support to avoid a filibuster.
Democratic leaders, including Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, are clear that they need a text of the bill by Tuesday to reach a vote before the July 4 break.
Disagreements facing negotiators
Sources told ABC News earlier that abortion funding has emerged as the latest hurdle in Senate talks to finalize the legislative agreement, with an unofficial deadline set for late Tuesday to preserve a potential vote on the bill. before the two-week vacation.
Negotiators recently focused on Hyde’s amendment, which prohibits federal funding from being used to pay for abortions. This provision interfered with the part of a possible arms law that deals with the financing of mental health, with Republicans pushing for a language that bans the use of money in a final abortion payment agreement, according to a source familiar with the matter.
This obstacle marked the latest curve in the discussions.
Sen. John Cornin of Texas, the leading Republican working on the deal, told ABC News earlier Tuesday that an agreement could be reached later that day, saying the draft text would appear “hopefully soon.” .
However, Cornin said – without specifying – that certain “details” need to be specified.
“This is a complex bill and negotiations have been difficult,” he said.
Senator John Cornin spoke at a hearing on “Protecting America’s Children from Gun Violence” before the Senate Judicial Commission in Washington, DC, June 15, 2022.
Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
The other main negotiators are meaning. Murphy, Kirsten Cinema (D-Ariz.) And Tom Tillis (RN.C.).
Weapons talks have recently narrowed to two other differences: funding for red flag laws, which will allow law enforcement to remove firearms from those considered dangerous to themselves or others, and how widely to overcome them. “Boyfriend’s door” by expanding the types of domestic abusers banned from possessing firearms.
Senator Durbin, the majority, told ABC News on Tuesday that talks on Hyde’s amendment could be resolved quickly, and aides were still optimistic the deal would not be derailed.
Negotiators are pushing for a bill that could receive sustained support from 10 Republican senators, the same number who previously backed the framework announced on June 12th.
Senator Chris Murphy spoke at a rally near Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2022, calling on Congress to pass gun laws.
Susan Walsh / AP
Democrats want the deal done soon to keep momentum amid public discontent following mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uwalde, Texas. Republicans, meanwhile, are facing calls from their base to blunt aspects of gun access to any legislation, with pressure expressed over the weekend when Cornin was booed at a state party convention in Texas.
Asked by ABC News on Tuesday if it was making negotiations difficult, Cornin said: “Oh, no. No, it’s not.”
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