By
Meredith Shiner
| April 15, 2013, 10:26 p.m.
A Senate vote on a measure to expand the nation’s background check system has been pushed back, likely to late this week or early next week, according to a source tracking the negotiations.
By
John Gramlich
| April 15, 2013, 6:30 p.m.
Advocates are frantically lobbying a small and rapidly shrinking list of undecided senators from both parties who control the fate of the most ambitious gun control legislation to reach the floor in nearly 20 years.
By
Meredith Shiner
| April 15, 2013, 1:58 p.m.
New Jersey Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg “hopes” to return to Washington this week to provide crucial votes for Democrats looking to advance gun control legislation.
By
John Gramlich
| April 11, 2013, 5:47 p.m.
With the Senate voting comfortably Thursday to take up its most ambitious gun control legislation in nearly two decades, all eyes turn to the “open amendment process” that Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has promised.
By
Meredith Shiner
| April 10, 2013, 7:10 p.m.
When Democrats needed a partner to strike a deal with on a gun background check bill, Republican Sen. Patrick J. Toomey made a politically savvy move that could pay dividends both in future talks with Democrats and back home in Pennsylvania.
By
Meredith Shiner
| April 10, 2013, 1:03 p.m.
Four senators may have signed on to a gun background check deal Wednesday, but only two showed up for the news conference — in part because Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Patrick J. Toomey’s public support for the bill hinged on not having to stand next to Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York.
By
John Gramlich
| April 9, 2013, 9:15 p.m.
A bipartisan group of Senate negotiators signaled Tuesday night that it has reached a deal in principle on expanding background checks to include more gun sales, in what was widely seen as the major sticking point on the biggest gun control legislation to reach the floor since 1994.
By
Niels Lesniewski
| April 9, 2013, 4:16 p.m.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday he expects a full slate of nominees for the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals to reach the chamber in the coming weeks.
By
Meredith Shiner
| April 9, 2013, 3:57 p.m.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced Tuesday that he will hold a test vote on a gun package, as negotiators neared an agreement on background check language that would be the legislative core of the bill.
By
Steven T. Dennis
| April 8, 2013, 8:01 p.m.
An angry President Barack Obama made an emotional plea in Hartford, Conn., for the American people to pressure Congress to pass his gun control agenda.
By
Niels Lesniewski
| April 8, 2013, 7:01 p.m.
Senate Democrats appear to be setting the stage for a major battle over President Barack Obama’s judicial nominations, a fight that threatens to reignite raw partisan emotions over filibuster rules and the “nuclear option.”
By
John Gramlich
| April 8, 2013, 6:28 p.m.
Majority Leader Harry Reid issued an emotional plea as he launched debate Monday on the most sweeping gun control legislation to reach the Senate floor in nearly two decades. But fundamental questions remain, including what the bill’s final language will be and whether Republicans can block the debate from proceeding.
By
Humberto Sanchez, Steven T. Dennis
| April 8, 2013, 3:14 p.m.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Monday slammed Senate Republicans for threatening to block debate on legislation designed to address gun violence.
By
John Gramlich
| April 7, 2013, 1:06 p.m.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer said Sunday that a bipartisan group of eight senators is “on track” to introduce comprehensive immigration legislation by the end of this week, despite recent “kerfuffles” in its negotiations and competing items on the congressional agenda.
By
John Gramlich
| April 7, 2013, 12:39 p.m.
White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer on Sunday said a group of Senate Republicans would go back on their word to the families of Newtown, Conn., if they choose to filibuster gun control legislation that is set to come to the floor this week.
By
Niels Lesniewski
| April 7, 2013, Noon
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has the tools he needs to overcome any initial filibuster of a firearms background check bill, but he may not be inclined to use them.
By
Niels Lesniewski
| April 5, 2013, 10:30 p.m.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday that unless nominations start moving swiftly through the Senate, another round of dramatic rules changes may be in the offing.
By
Emily Pierce
| April 5, 2013, 9:22 p.m.
Sen. Mark Pryor does not appear to be ready any time soon to follow the example of many of his Democratic colleagues who have recently come out in support of gay marriage.
By
Steven T. Dennis
| April 5, 2013, 3:14 p.m.
President Barack Obama will keep ramping up the public pressure on his gun control agenda next week, as the issue gathers steam in the Senate for debate this month. And the president, the vice president and the first lady are all slated to take part.
By
Niels Lesniewski
| April 5, 2013, 10:51 a.m.
In near-simultaneous statements, two newly elected Democratic senators from traditionally red states announced support for allowing gay marriages, leaving just four Senate Democrats remaining.
