Befuddled By Trump  Senate Will Not Vote On Gun Measures Next Week : NPR
Befuddled By  Trump   Senate Will Not Vote On Gun Measures Next Week
Plans for a speedy Senate vote on gun legislation crumbled Thursday as Senate leaders announced plans to move on to long-planned banking legislation  while congressional Republicans struggle to make sense of  President Trump 's wishes on guns.
The sharp departure was the result of widespread confusion on Capitol Hill over guns. Republicans spent the day Thursday struggling to respond to a set of vague instructions  Trump  laid out during a televised meeting at the White House.
That meeting followed a familiar pattern for many lawmakers who are trying to write and pass legislation that can meet  Trump 's shifting approval. Even many Republicans responded to the White House meeting with confusion and frustration over the lack of clear guidance from the president.
Over the course of the hourlong broadcast  Trump  seemed to embrace plans to expand background checks and increase age limits for purchasing long gun rifles  positions generally anathema to congressional Republicans.  He  also suggested pre-emptively taking guns away from potentially dangerous people  a policy that might draw significant legal challenges.
The disconnect between  Trump  and congressional Republicans on core philosophical issues on display this week  coupled with the lingering partisan anger between the two parties following the failed immigration talks  is quickly lowering already dim expectations that 2018 will result in much legislative output.
"I'm not inclined to do anything right now except to see what comes up " Shelby said. "We all are interested in our children being safe in schools; we're all interested in the communities being safe. It's how do we get there? "
Trump  often acknowledges that it's hard to pass any legislation in Congress  let alone laws to curb gun rights. But many lawmakers  including some Republicans  say  Trump 's own statements make the already difficult task of passing gun legislation even harder.
The meeting concluded with  Trump  asking lawmakers to go back and talk about the extensive list of proposals floated at the meeting  and without a White House endorsement of any specific plan.
Republicans still reeling from the fallout of Trump's conflicting comments during Wednesday's gun meeting were again taken by surprise Thursday with the White House announcement of impending tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. The decision upends long-standing GOP orthodoxy on trade policy and provoked fears among senators of a trade war with China and other traditional allies that threatens to harm the U.S. economy more than tariffs promise to help.
Sen. Ron Johnson  R-Wis.  said the president's decision is counter to the view of the Senate GOP Conference  which has in prior meetings urged  Trump  not to impose these tariffs. "I think every Republican is pretty well on the same side of the page from that standpoint  resisting what [ Trump ] and  his  trade advisers were talking about " Johnson said. "We have been talking to the administration almost in a unanimous fashion  warning against protectionist measures  warning against these types of tariffs."
Befuddled By  [TGT]  Will Not Vote On Gun Measures Next Week
Plans for a speedy  [TGT]  vote on gun legislation crumbled Thursday as  [TGT]  leaders announced plans to move on to long-planned banking legislation  while congressional Republicans struggle to make sense of  President Trump 's wishes on guns.
The sharp departure was the result of widespread confusion on Capitol Hill over guns. Republicans spent the day Thursday struggling to respond to a set of vague instructions  Trump  laid out during a televised meeting at the White House.
That meeting followed a familiar pattern for many lawmakers who are trying to write and pass legislation that can meet  Trump 's shifting approval. Even many Republicans responded to the White House meeting with confusion and frustration over the lack of clear guidance from the president.
Over the course of the hourlong broadcast   [TGT] seemed to embrace plans to expand background checks and increase age limits for purchasing long gun rifles  positions generally anathema to congressional Republicans.   [TGT]   also suggested pre-emptively taking guns away from potentially dangerous people  a policy that might draw significant legal challenges.
The disconnect between   [TGT] and congressional Republicans on core philosophical issues on display this week  coupled with the lingering partisan anger between the two parties following the failed immigration talks  is quickly lowering already dim expectations that 2018 will result in much legislative output.
"I'm not inclined to do anything right now except to see what comes up " Shelby said. "We all are interested in our children being safe in schools; we're all interested in the communities being safe. It's how do we get there?  [TGT] 
often acknowledges that it's hard to pass any legislation in Congress  let alone laws to curb gun rights. But many lawmakers  including some Republicans  say  Trump 's own statements make the already difficult task of passing gun legislation even harder.
The meeting concluded with  [TGT] asking lawmakers to go back and talk about the extensive list of proposals floated at the meeting  and without a White House endorsement of any specific plan.
Republicans still reeling from the fallout of  [TGT] 's conflicting comments during Wednesday's gun meeting were again taken by surprise Thursday with the White House announcement of impending tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. The decision upends long-standing GOP orthodoxy on trade policy and provoked fears among senators of a trade war with China and other traditional allies that threatens to harm the U.S. economy more than tariffs promise to help.
Sen. Ron Johnson  R-Wis.  said the president's decision is counter to the view of the Senate GOP Conference  which has in prior meetings urged   [TGT]   not to impose these tariffs. "I think every Republican is pretty well on the same side of the page from that standpoint  resisting what [  [TGT]  ] and  his  trade advisers were talking about " Johnson said. "We have been talking to the administration almost in a unanimous fashion  warning against protectionist measures  warning against these types of tariffs."