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Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) urged his Senate GOP colleagues Tuesday to meet with the families of victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting.

Grassley said he met with some of the family members of the 20 first-graders and six school employees that were killed by a gunman in December.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Tuesday he was introducing a border security bill to compliment the bipartisan immigration reform package being negotiated by the Gang of Eight.

Cornyn said the Border Security Results Act would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use new technology to metrically gauge border security.

The Senate voted 64-34 on Tuesday to confirm the nomination of Patty Shwartz to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit.

Shwartz had been serving as a judge in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) accused Republicans Tuesday of “speaking out of both sides of their mouth” when it comes to debating gun-control reforms.

Reid was referring to the 13 GOP senators who sent him a letter during the two-week recess. The GOP senators, lead by Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), said they would filibuster any attempt to change gun-control laws, but Reid said these are the same senators who also complain that the Senate doesn't operate under regular order, allowing debate and amendments.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Monday evening that there are 31,000 reasons to pass gun-control reforms.

“There are 31,000 reasons to pass sensible gun legislation,” Boxer said. “That’s how many people die a year at the hands of a gun.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Republicans should be ashamed that they are “afraid” to debate gun-control legislation in the Senate.

“Let us have a debate on violence in America,” Reid said Monday. “Many Senate Republicans seem afraid to even engage in this debate — shame on them. 

“The least Republicans owe the parents of 20 children murdered with guns at Sandy Hook Elementary is a thoughtful debate about whether stronger gun laws could have saved their little babies. The least Republicans owe them is a vote."

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) called for an “honest debate” on gun-control reform Monday.

“Parents, educators, police officers, hunters and sportsmen, and elected leaders have worked hard to find common ground and come up with new solutions to solve the very real problem of gun violence in this country,” Rockefeller said Monday. “And they’ve stuck with it even in the face of some unfair and ugly criticisms by those who would instead turn this moment into a false rallying cry over gun rights that are not threatened in any way, shape or form.”

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said Wednesday that any immigration reform being considered by Congress should “prioritize securing our borders.”

“Any immigration reform legislation Congress considers in the coming months must prioritize securing our borders and creating an effective system that tracks whether those entering on temporary visas have left the country,” Inhofe said during a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday. 

The Massachusetts delegation announced Thursday that it unanimously supports universal background checks for gun purchases.

The Northeastern members of Congress released statements of support for some of the gun control reforms proposed by President Obama in his speech Thursday remembering the December killings in Newtown, Conn.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) warned Senate Democrats not to rush comprehensive immigration reform through committee.

On Wednesday, Sessions said that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) intends to move legislation drafted by a bipartisan group of eight senators through committee and to the Senate floor for a vote within a few weeks.