(Washington, DC) — Senate Republicans are blocking forward progress on a domestic terrorism bill. The measure fell short of a 60-vote threshold needed to advance-failing to even get all Democrats to back this measure. The vote was 47-47. The House-passed Democratic measure was pushed after the recent deadly mass shooting in Buffalo, which has been labeled a racially-motivated hate crime. Republicans accused Democrats of politicizing the Buffalo tragedy with unnecessary legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill would go after the “evil spread of white supremacy and domestic terrorism.” Kentucky Republican Rand Paul called the bill “insulting” and said it implies, “All people are bad, that there is this great and worrisome thing that is infecting America, when the opposite is true.”