Pelosi: ‘Hell to pay’ if Senate doesn’t pass universal background check bill

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned on Monday that there would be “hell to pay” for Senate Republicans if they don’t pass a universal background check bill.

“Some of the gun violence prevention groups have upped the ante even further to say that if this bill is not passed, Mitch McConnell and Republicans in the Senate and the president will have hell to pay,” Pelosi said at a press conference with other Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). “So let’s save time.” 

{mosads}Congress returned to Washington for the first time on Monday since the mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, where nearly 40 people were killed.

Democrats are trying to build pressure on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and President Trump to pass and sign a House background checks bill, which has stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate.

The House bill cleared the chamber in February but no Senate Republican has signed on as a co-sponsor, giving it long odds for clearing the upper chamber. 

Schumer on Monday said the two roadblocks to the House bill becoming law are Trump and McConnell.

“It is totally up to them and it is on theirs shoulders, they can’t escape that responsibility,” Schumer said.

Lawmakers are waiting for a sign from Trump about what legislation he would sign. McConnell has said for a bill to get a vote on the Senate floor it needs Trump’s backing, underscoring that Republicans want political cover from Trump on an issue that is likely to spark backlash from the gun lobby.

Democrats believe they have public support on their side, and were backed up by new polls released on Monday.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 89 percent of respondents, including 83 percent of Republicans, support requiring background checks for all potential gun buyers.  

Pelosi on Monday pledged that they would make the issue “too hot” for McConnell to handle.