The White House on Tuesday defended Senate Democrats for voting against two Republican gun control amendments, and rejected the idea that Democrats should have seen the GOP language as a middle ground that makes some progress on guns.

Democrats on Monday voted down proposals from Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and stopped them from advancing in Senate. In doing so, Democrats took the position that only their more aggressive gun control measures should pass, and that anything along the lines of a compromise with Senate Republicans shouldn’t move.