Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, on Wednesday said is he worried his colleagues in Congress have forgotten they form a coequal branch of the federal government on par with President Trump, as lawmakers negotiate legislation addressing school safety and gun control.
“When I see headlines like this one in the WSJ, I am concerned Congress no longer regards itself as a co-equal branch of the US government and is unwilling to lead,” Cornyn wrote on Twitter, with a link to a Wall Street Journal news article about how members of Congress were looking “for guidance from Trump” to pass a gun bill through the House and Senate.
When I see headlines like this one in the WSJ, I am concerned Congress no longer regards itself as a co-equal branch of the US government and is unwilling to lead: “Congress Looks for Guidance From Trump on Gun Legislation”
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) February 28, 2018
Cornyn’s tweet preceded a bipartisan meeting at the White House on Wednesday, in which the president and key lawmakers discussed how they would legislatively respond to the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that killed 17 people.
During the meeting, Republicans and Democrats told Trump he would be crucial to their efforts.
Trump also pressed the lawmakers multiple times to consider a single bill.
Trump told Cornyn that he would like a proposal sponsored by Cornyn, the Fix NICS Act, which aims to improve background check reporting, to be expanded into comprehensive gun control legislation.
Cornyn said any bill that can get the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate should be part of the conversation.
