Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is taking heat after he blocked a school safety bill.
Following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) asked for unanimous consent to pass the Luke and Alex School Safety Act.
The bill, which is named after Luke Hoyer and Alex Schachter — victims of the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school shooting — would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to “establish a Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety Best Practices for use by state and local educational and law-enforcement agencies, institutions of higher education, health professionals, and the public,” according to a summary of it.
It adds:
“The bill requires DHS to collect clearinghouse data analytics, user feedback on the implementation of best practices and recommendations identified by the clearinghouse, and any evaluations conducted on these best practices and recommendations. In addition, DHS must coordinate with the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice to assess and identify best practices and recommendations and establish an advisory board to provide feedback and propose additional recommendations.”
However, on Wednesday, Schumer tweeted, “GOP Sen. Johnson just tried for a bill that could see more guns in schools—I blocked it. The truth: There were officers at the school in Texas. The shooter got past them.”
“We need real solutions—We will vote on gun legislation starting with the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act,” he added.
GOP Sen. Johnson just tried for a bill that could see more guns in schools—I blocked it.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 25, 2022
The truth: There were officers at the school in Texas. The shooter got past them.
We need real solutions—We will vote on gun legislation starting with the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act.
Johnson, who sponsored the bill, wrote on Twitter, “Not surprising that the Democrat leader would lie about the bill he blocked that parents of Parkland victims have been trying to pass for years. Dems aren’t looking for solutions, they want wedge issues that they hope will keep them in power. Sick.”
Not surprising that the Democrat leader would lie about the bill he blocked that parents of Parkland victims have been trying to pass for years.
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) May 26, 2022
Dems aren’t looking for solutions, they want wedge issues that they hope will keep them in power. Sick. https://t.co/f4zbNb03ey
Meanwhile, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) wrote, “The truth: Schumer blocked a bipartisan bill [that] makes the school safety clearinghouse http://schoolsafety.gov permanent because radical left wing activists oppose it.”
The truth: Schumer blocked a bipartisan bill the makes the school safety clearinghouse https://t.co/rvfUl0d7sA permanent because radical left wing activists oppose it https://t.co/V0Lx9GwRx4
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 25, 2022
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) also wrote, “We’ve been working for years to pass the Luke & Alex School Safety Act. [Schumer] should immediately accept this invitation to meet with [Max Schachter] so he can explain why he blocked this bill [and]why he’s lying about it now.”
We’ve been working for years to pass the Luke & Alex School Safety Act. @SenSchumer should immediately accept this invitation to meet with @maxschachter so he can explain why he blocked this bill & why he’s lying about it now. https://t.co/27xCQjDEJ1
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) May 26, 2022
Check out some of the reactions below:
The bill that @SenSchumer is referring to here is a bill that the parents of Parkland victims are advocating for. It’s literally named after victims of the Parkland shooting. And he’s lying about it.
— Chris Hartline (@ChrisHartline) May 25, 2022
Chuck Schumer is a liar and a scumbag. https://t.co/OKDTCRMMIQ
You're a moron (that's a compliment). Please tell me what you're going to do to take guns from criminals, not from lawful people? https://t.co/2upmiXTmdQ
— Stark for FL House District 37 (@KrisSta32583723) May 26, 2022
Chuck, there was one guard – they have ONE guard for three schools.
— The?FOO (@PolitiBunny) May 25, 2022
It just means we need more officers in these schools … it’s not about putting guns in the school. It’s about evening the odds and ultimately protecting children.
When does your vacation start? https://t.co/I5EmfRB9iP
How is the Luke & Alex School Safety Act going to put "more guns in schools" exactly? https://t.co/BhkvIBXu79
— Chris Pandolfo (@ChrisCPandolfo) May 25, 2022
Schumer scheduled a vote on the Domestic Terrorist Prevention Act on Thursday.
According to a summary of that bill, it “establishes new requirements to expand the availability of information on domestic terrorism, as well as the relationship between domestic terrorism and hate crimes.”
“It authorizes domestic terrorism components within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to monitor, analyze, investigate, and prosecute domestic terrorism. The domestic terrorism components of DHS, DOJ, and the FBI must jointly report on domestic terrorism, including white-supremacist-related incidents or attempted incidents,” it continued.
The bill also “creates an interagency task force to analyze and combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the uniformed services and federal law enforcement agencies,” and “directs the FBI to assign a special agent or hate crimes liaison to each field office to investigate hate crimes incidents with a nexus to domestic terrorism.”
Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School marks the second deadliest shooting at an elementary school in U.S. history. Nineteen children and two adults were killed.
