>> senate minority leader chuck schumer spoke on the senate floor on the parkland, florida, school shooting that killed 17 7 people and the need for gun control. his remarks are about ten minutes. mr. president. now, mr.je president, in the wae of the horrific shootings at stoneman douglas high school, the deadliest school shooting since sandy hook, there has been a broad national conversation about the epidemic of gun violence in this country. it ised being led by a group of brave high school students, friends, , classmates of the fallen. who i will be sitting down with

store. their passion and eloquence of been a moral force for change. thank god for these students. they are urging us that have debate in congress about something very straightforward. what can we do to stop very dangerous guns from getting into the hands of very dangerous people. how can we keep america safe at our movie theaters and nightclubs and concerts and churches, and above all at our schools? we need to get something real and significant accomplished. the problem of gun violence in this country is to be meeting for another delay. to severe for half measures. now, the president, president trump, has been talking about comprehensive background check. we are glad you did that. we arere glad that folks are finally starting to talk about the real issues of gun safety again. democrats believe that at the very least in the wake of parkland we should strive for comprehensive background checks,

closing the loop holes allow anyone regardless of a violent history, the history of mental illness to walk into a gun show or go on the internet and purchase a gun. more than 90%rc of americans, te vast majority of gun owners can support comprehensive background checks. what are we waiting for? there seems to be a discussion about a more limited proposal sponsored by senators cornynl d murphy which improves the existing background check in a few ways. i support the bill. i a cosponsor, but the fix next bill is notl what president trup has been talking about this afternoon and at other times when he says comprehensive background checks. fix next was written to address one specific issue that was brought to light after a horrific shooting in a church in sutherland springs, texas.

it is a proposal to address the specific problem but it leaves unaddressed the host of crucial gun safety issues, including and especially the loopholes in a background check system. if we only pass fix knicks will be right back year after the next shooting in nearly the same place. it all congress does in response to the parkland shooting as the past fix nicks, we will not be doing our job. we must do much more than that. this week the democratic caucus will discuss what policies we believe the most effectively curb uniquely american epidemic of gun violence. we will propose and work with our republican colleagues to perfect and hopefully an act of them. i sincerely believe we can make progress, even on issues brought as this one, but it will require one thing, a republican friends to break free from the iron grip ofhe the nra.

my republican friends faced a simple choice. do something real on guns, or please the nra. doing both is impossible. the nra number one goal is to make sure nothing meaningful on gun safety ever happens here when there are national issues, with there's horrible shooting, they make a faint like they might try to do something but then they pull right back because they want nothing to be done. an example, after the shooting in las vegas, senators try to do something here in the senate about bump stocks. the modification that allow the perpetrator to automatically fire his assault, his arsenal of assault weapons. the nra and many republican said oh, they were going to work on it. but then what? w the nra pushed the weakest possible measure, a simple review of the issue by the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms, which it albury said they can do anything about thehe

bill. and then what happened?l. nothing. now the nra has pushed the house republicans to attach the fix nics deal. the court and murphy bill very modest improvement focused on one issue that happened in texas that was not relevant to what happened here in parkland. they tried to attach that to the nra's number one legislative priority, concealed carry reciprocity. a bill that undermines our existing gun laws defeating the entire purpose of the legislation. even when it comes to the most modest improvements to gun safety laws, the nra always finds a way to stand in the way of progress. if we're going to get something significant done to keep our schools and our kids safe from gun violence, , president trump and congressional republicans will have to for the first time in a very long time block of the

nra. it's our hope the republican leaders willep work with us in a bipartisan way to pass legislation that makes a real difference. not half measures, not baby steps, and certainly not attaching good legislation to legislation that would make the overall problem even worse. we hope republicans will c work with us to pass serious changes to our gun laws. whether the nra supports them or not. that's the only way we will make progress on an issue that is frustrated congress, and the vast majority of american people for far too long. on another matter, last week the republican-led sec formally published a brutal reversing net neutrality, the legal infrastructure -- fcc -- that kept the internet free and open to all americans. the fcc's role will give the isp the inner service, internet service providers the authority to restrict customers access to their favorite websites by

forcing consumers to buy internet packages like cable and pay for premium access, pay more for premium access. in this new universe, big companies that can pay to play could get faster internet service while startups and everyday americans are stuck in the slow lane. it will mean the end of the free we know it. the way the internet is driven innovation and entrepreneurship, the wickets provide unprecedented opportunities for americans to learn and connect with one another, that could all change with a profit-making organization at the toll booth deciding who pays what. we have an opportunity to save the internet by undoing the fcc's ruling through the congressional review act. already all 49 49 democrats hae signed onto the bill, and one republican susan collins has joined us. we now need only one more vote, one more republican to reverse

the fcc's ruling here in the senate. when we force a vote on this bill, , republicans in congress will for the first time have the opportunity to write the administrations wrong and show the american people whose side are the on, the average consumer or once again side with big corporate interests. on the on the site a big internet service providers and corporations or all the on the side of consumers, entrepreneurs, startups and small business owners. tomorrow there will be a net e'utrality date of action here on the hill that help will focus and sent its attention on the issue progress 60 legislative days to pass the cra, and they urge every single one of my republican colleagues to join uj and help save the internet. i yielded the floor and note the absence of a quorum. >> the u.s. senate is about the gavel in to work on the nomination of elizabeth branched to be a judge on 11th circuit

court. confirmation vote is likely later today. senators may work on the omb deputy director nomination. more nominations are expected this week. now live to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. today's opening prayer will be offered by rabbi seth frisch, from historic congregation kesher israel, rabbi frisch: we look to you today, you who remembers all that we have forgotten, and you who are the eternal source of all blessing. we stand before you on the eve of the biblical festival of purim, a joyous time in which we