NotedDC — House Dems keep foot on the gas on gun reform

House Democrats aren’t letting recess get in the way of sending gun control legislation to the floor as soon as possible following the school shooting massacre in Uvalde, Texas last week, which killed 19 children and two teachers. 

The House Judiciary Committee will meet for an emergency meeting Thursday to markup an omnibus bill including proposals to curb gun trafficking, promote the safe storage of firearms and raise the purchase age for certain semi-automatic rifles.  

Judiciary Committee vice chair Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) knows the odds that Democrats are up against in the Senate, which hasn’t passed any of the House-cleared bills on gun control since the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting due to Republican opposition. 

But she told NotedDC there’s hope for bipartisanship this time around, saying she believes President Biden is the best person to lead the fight. The last two times she spoke with him before the shooting, they discussed finding solutions to gun violence. 

“I was a teacher. I had students who suffered from gun violence at LaSalle University,” Dean said, saying she “took offense” to Republicans’ proposed solution of arming teachers. 

“The gruesomeness with which people are wounded as a result of these weapons is something that you would only fear seeing in a war zone,” Dean said. “We’re seeing that in schools.” 

A bipartisan group of senators met Tuesday for ongoing negotiations on possible bills, but there’s skepticism that Democrats will get 10 Republicans on board with any proposal, including background checks. 

Biden also said Tuesday he will “meet with Congress on guns.” 

Dean said that when she knew the Senate wouldn’t pass universal background checks in 2019, after one of the times the House did, she asked the late Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) what to do with that feeling of disappointment. 

“Do not give up,” Lewis told her, Dean remembered. “At this horrific moment, I pray this is the breakthrough.” 

The Hill’s Mike Lillis outlines the specifics in the bill.

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Biden homes in on inflation 

Abortion and gun control have dominated the political conversation for the past month, letting Democrats go on the offense. But President Biden’s attention isn’t straying from inflation. 

Republicans are slamming Biden over record gas prices and rising grocery costs, which he has blamed in part on the war in Ukraine. 

Fifty-two percent of Americans rank inflation as their top issue, according to a FiveThirtyEight survey conducted this month. 

Biden, knowing that his low approval rating is largely due to inflation, on Tuesday laid out a three-part plan in The Wall Street Journal and met with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. 

“The economic reality that we’re facing right now is not good,” Cassie Smedile, the executive director of conservative America Rising PAC, told NotedDC. “Top of mind for voters is the economy and will be the economy this November.” 

Biden’s strategy, which will get new attention on Friday when the May jobs report drops, includes touting oil released from global reserves while pressing for clean energy tax credits, working to lower daily costs such as child care and housing and decreasing the deficit, per The Hill’s Alex Gangitano.

Democratic pollster Matt McDermott pointed to Congress’s inaction as to why Biden has taken the blame on the issue so far, saying that Democrats have reverted to “apathy” while the enthusiasm intensifies among Republicans to take control of Congress. 

“Voters are looking to a White House, to a president, to a majority in Congress for solutions,” McDermott told NotedDC. “Whether it’s guns, abortion or the economy and inflation, the trouble from the messaging perspective is there’s no proof point.” 

 
BTS in the (White) House 

Grammy-nominated K-Pop sensation BTS visited the White House and met with President Biden on Tuesday on the final day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month. 

BTS members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook even took to the White House podium alongside press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre during the daily briefing to talk about inclusion and their efforts to address anti-Asian hate crimes. 

“We are here today thanks to our army — our fans worldwide — who have different nationalities and cultures and use different languages. We are truly and always grateful,” J-Hope told reporters. 

The Hill’s Alex Gangitano noted that she’s “never seen the briefing room as crowded” as it was when they stood at the podium. 

The band took no formal questions and didn’t respond to ones questions from reporters in the room. 

Catch up on their visit with The Hill’s Judy Kurtz.

NEW ZEALAND PM SITS DOWN WITH BIDEN IN THE OVAL OFFICE

President Biden hosted New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the White House Tuesday as part of his Pacific-focused diplomacy effort. 

A big focus for the meeting — the New Zealand leader’s first in D.C. — was climate change, which Ardern described as “one of the greatest threats we face.” 

“This incredibly difficult issue will only be resolved if we work together,” she told reporters after the meeting. 

Biden said his goal on addressing climate is not to “dictate or lay down the law.”  

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity to make the world safer, and deal with the environment,” he said. 

Biden said that the two leaders also discussed violent extremism, pointing to New Zealand’s Christchurch mosque shootings in 2019 and the recent mass shootings in New York and Texas. 

 
PRIMARY SEASON ROLLS ON

After a break in action for Memorial Day week, the next major primary day hits states next Tuesday. Here’s our latest look at some of the big battles coming that day: 

Montana 

Montana will vote on its congressional seats, after getting a second one from the 2020 Census. Montana had been represented by a single at-large House member for nearly three decades.  

The nonpartisan newsletter Cook Political Report has rated both as likely Republican seats. 

Flashback: The drawing of the two maps became a bit of controversy last fall after Democrats pushed for a map that would create a tighter race in the new western district. Montana’s Districting and Apportionment Commission chair ultimately sided with Republicans agreeing that the two districts should be more compact, ultimately making the match-ups less competitive. 

Names to know: Running for the 1st District seat, former Trump Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who previously served in the House for two years. Shrouded in controversy, Zinke stepped down from his administration role in 2018. Despite the fallout, Trump has endorsed Zinke in the race. 

After he left the Trump administration, Zinke, a Navy veteran, went on to work for a cryptocurrency investment firm. 

He faces opponents Mitch Heuer, Matt Jette, Albert Olszewski and Mary Todd in next week’s primary. 

On the Democratic side: Health policy expert Cora Neumann, attorney Monica Tranel and former state Rep. Tom Winter are seeking the Democratic nom. 

Also in Montana: In the other district, incumbent Rep. Matt Rosendale, a Republican who took office representing Montana’s sole at-large district last year, is seeking re-election. He’s got the backing of former President Trump and has been one of the members who has spread unbacked allegations about the 2020 election. 

He faces three opponents: Kyle Austin, James Boyette and Charles Walking Child. 

Democrats in the race are Billings City Council member Penny Ronning and Billings resident Skylar Williams. State Sen. Mark Sweeney will also appear on the Democratic ballot, though he unexpectedly died earlier this month. 

New Jersey 

The Garden State has a pretty light midterm election year, with no statewide candidates on the ballot. 

Each of New Jersey’s 12 U.S. House districts will be up for election.  

All of the current incumbents are seeking re-election except Albio Sires, a Democrat who announced his retirement in December. 

Other states with primaries on June 7: New Mexico, South Dakota and Mississippi. NotedDC will explore more on those next week. If you missed our look at California and Iowa’s primaries last week, you can find that info here. 
 

2024 is coming: Who might run if Biden doesn’t 

The figurative and literal age-old question swirling around the White House is whether President Biden will run for a second term. The Hill’s Amie Parnes ranked the top five contenders that could potentially hit the campaign trail in 2024 if Biden doesn’t: 

1. Vice President Kamala Harris: It’s a no-brainer for a vice president to be considered the top suspect to follow in the president’s shoes. And it would break the glass ceiling for Democrats to elect a woman president. But Parnes writes that “she has been tripped up by a rash of negative headlines since she assumed the role.” 
   
2. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (D): This would be his second go at a presidential run, with more name recognition and experience this time, but like before, it’s questionable whether those will stand against his more known opponents. 
   
3. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): She’s said before that she won’t run against Biden, but her draw with progressives – an important electorate to grab for any Democrats during the primaries – will put her in the spotlight if Biden doesn’t run. 
   
4. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): Despite being almost the same age as Biden, Parnes writes that he hasn’t ruled out a run and has ramped up his calls for universal healthcare. 
   
5. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.): She made a name for herself as a moderate Democrat despite not performing well in the 2020 presidential primaries, and Parnes’ notes that her trip to New Hampshire later this month might be a sign of her laying the groundwork. 

NUMBER TO KNOW: 7.1

The percentage of U.S. adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual, according to the most recent Gallup poll on the topic. Wednesday marks the first day of LGBT Pride Month. 

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