Floor Speeches

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said he would object to reducing debate time on the Senate’s next legislative matter, the Marketplace Fairness Act.

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed cloture on a motion to proceed to S. 743, a bill that would allow states to collect online sales taxes. The Senate is likely to begin votes on that bill next week, but Wyden said he’d oppose the measure.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said President Obama took the “low road” Wednesday when he criticized GOP senators for not supporting gun control measures.

“When good and honest people have differences of opinion about what policies our country should pursue when it comes to the Second Amendment ... the president of United States should not accuse them of having no coherent arguments or caving to political pressure,” Cornyn said in a floor speech Thursday. “The president could have taken the high road ... but instead he chose to take the low road, and I agree with him, it was truly a shameful day.”

House Democrats on Thursday morning blasted Senate Republicans for blocking progress on gun control legislation Wednesday.

"Yesterday was a shameful day," said Rep. Elizabeth Esty, who represents Newtown, Conn. "I'm outraged that 46 senators prevented a compromise to reduce gun violence, which 92 percent of the American people support."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that Republicans “damaged” their brand by voting against expanding background checks for gun purchases.

“The brand of the Republicans is further damaged by going against 90 percent of Americans,” Reid said on the Senate floor Thursday morning. “Republicans are on the wrong side.”

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Wednesday that gun violence is a “symptom” of the larger societal problem of a “moral decline.”

Coburn suggested that the Senate spend its time trying to restore the morality of America, rather than debate gun-control legislation since the “Second Amendment right isn’t going to go away.”

“Our Founders had a Bill of Rights and we had a Constitution and it was really designed for moral and good people,” Coburn said Wednesday. “So we really ought to be leading on the real issues. … We are in some moral decline and that’s because of a lack of leadership in a lot of areas in our country.”

In her maiden speech, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) honored the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombings.

“I rise to remember the lives of those we have lost,” Warren said Wednesday. “We will miss them.” 

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said that if senators don’t support a background check amendment from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) they must not want to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

“I believe people should be able to own guns, but the criminals shouldn’t be able to own guns,” Murphy said Wednesday. “If you oppose the Manchin-Toomey amendment, you cannot say with a straight face that you oppose criminals getting guns.”

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) accused the National Riffle Association (NRA) of lying to its members about his amendment increasing background checks for gun purchases.

“I agree wholeheartedly with the goal of the NRA. … I carry my [membership] card with me and I’ve had this for quite some time, it’s a lifetime membership,” Manchin said Wednesday. “I was surprised when the latest alert from the NRA was full of misinformation.

“They are telling members that our legislation would criminalize the private transfer of firearms by honest, law abiding citizens. … That is a lie, that is simply a lie and anyone that can read knows that is not factual.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday that he would vote for an amendment to the Senate gun bill that would reinstate the assault weapons ban.

“I believe you should have the right to own a gun,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “But you do not need an assault weapon to defend yourself and your property. Assault weapons have one purpose and one purpose alone, to kill a lot of people very quickly.”

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) called for her colleagues Tuesday to end “the slaughter of innocents” by supporting the Senate gun-control bill.

Boxer admitted that the Senate bill couldn’t prevent all gun violence, but said the measures would reduce the number of gun related deaths.