Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing intense backlash for refusing to pass a school safety bill named after two victims of the Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting that occurred four years ago in Parkland, Florida.
Named after victims Alex Schachter and Luke Hoyer, the Luke and Alex School Safety Act would reportedly codify into law a federal clearinghouse for school safety practices.
A clearinghouse is like an audit board, and so a federal clearinghouse for school safety practices would effectively monitor schools’ safety/security measures and offer recommendations on how to improve them.
“The bill requires DHS to collect clearinghouse data analytics, user feedback on the implementation of best practices and recommendations identified by the clearinghouse, and any evaluations conducted on these best practices and recommendations,” the bill’s text reads.
“In addition, DHS must coordinate with the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice to assess and identify best practices and recommendations and establish an advisory board to provide feedback and propose additional recommendations.”
The bill was written with the help of the parents of several Parkland victims, including Fred Guttenberg, who’s certainly no Republican.
Since the Parkland shooting, the Parkland families have all worked hard to pass legislation that will save lives. I fully support The Luke and Alex School safety act and the efforts of my friends in the Schacter and Hoyer families to make schools safer.https://t.co/RHSyHtKJEz
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) December 3, 2021
On Wednesday, Sens. Rick Scott and Ron Johnson both called for Schumer to allow the Senate to take up this piece of legislation.
Listen:
After the horrific shooting in Uvalde, I spoke in support of my, @SenRonJohnson, @marcorubio, @ChuckGrassley & @SenatorRisch’s Luke and Alex School Safety Act. This would help create safer schools to prevent another tragedy. @SenSchumer blocked this commonsense bill’s passage. pic.twitter.com/bVPSrnbTfM
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) May 25, 2022
Today, I asked for unanimous consent for passage of the Luke and Alex School Safety Act.
But @SenSchumer blocked this common sense legislation in favor of his partisan agenda.
It’s a very sad day in the United States Senate. pic.twitter.com/CCdQ6SpGxy
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) May 25, 2022
But the majority leader rebuffed them, claiming that “hardening schools” (making them more secure) would have made no difference in the latest school shooting in Uvalde.
He also took to Twitter and claimed without evidence that if signed into law, the Luke and Alex School Safety Act would somehow lead to there being “more guns in schools.”
GOP Sen. Johnson just tried for a bill that could see more guns in schools—I blocked it.
The truth: There were officers at the school in Texas. The shooter got past them.
We need real solutions—We will vote on gun legislation starting with the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) May 25, 2022
This refusal to even consider the bill left Schachter’s father, Max, angry and devastated.
In remarks made to Fox News, he called Schumer’s tweet “completely false” and said that the idea that the bill would “put more guns in school” is “ridiculous.”
“I thought that after 19 children and two teachers were just murdered in Uvalde, Texas, partisan politics will be put aside and that families might at least have some positive news out of Congress from their elected leaders,” he added.
“I was naïve to think that a horrible mass shooting would make people do the right thing. And unfortunately, you know, he didn’t. He blocked it. It’s heartbreaking.”
Scott and Johnson also slammed Schumer:
Not surprising that the Democrat leader would lie about the bill he blocked that parents of Parkland victims have been trying to pass for years.
Dems aren’t looking for solutions, they want wedge issues that they hope will keep them in power. Sick. https://t.co/f4zbNb03ey
— Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson) May 26, 2022
This was a bill I worked on with the parents of Parkland victims. It’s named after them. You’re a liar and a hack. https://t.co/WKFMLTjT4x
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) May 25, 2022
But Schachter’s anger runs both ways. He’s also frustrated with Republicans, who later Wednesday voted unanimously against a domestic terrorism bill.
“On the Senate floor Wednesday, Schumer said the school safety bill could be considered if Republicans agreed to debate on the domestic terrorism bill. A vote on the domestic terrorism bill failed along party lines Thursday, with all Republicans voting against,” according to Fox News.
.@SenSchumer you blocked the Luke & Alex School Safety Act to hold it hostage as leverage against the GOP. They just blocked your terrorism bill. NOW WHAT? NO SCHOOL SAFETY. More UVALDEs and Parklands?
DM me. Let’s work together to make this stop.
— Max Schachter (@maxschachter) May 26, 2022
“I blame both parties. The Republicans don’t want to give the Democrats a win, but the Democrats don’t want to give the Republicans a win either. And then who suffers? The American people. It’s ridiculous. They should do their damn job,” Schachter said to Fox News.
He reiterated this during a separate interview on NewsNation.
“I thought that partisan politics were going to be put aside, but I was naïve to think that that was going to happen. The Congress has failed us. The Democrats won’t give the Republicans a win; the Republicans won’t give the Democrats a win. And we just, we suffer,” he said.
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