On Thursday, Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana announced that he had successfully reached an agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York regarding an amendment concerning the firearm rights of military veterans facing conservatorship. Schumer had previously referred to this amendment as a “poison pill” within the Senate’s minibus appropriations bill.
According to The Hill, Kennedy’s efforts to secure a vote on his amendment had caused delays in the approval of the bill, which included funding for military construction and various government departments, such as Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
However, Senator Kennedy now anticipates that his proposal will receive a vote, as he has agreed to modify the language of the amendment. Consequently, he has decided to allow the appropriations bill, which had been stalled for a considerable period, to proceed.
In his own words, Senator Kennedy mentioned, “I just left Chuck’s office. I think we got it worked out. We’re going to streamline some new language. Frankly, I think it makes my amendment stronger. Now, not everyone’s going to be happy.”
The modified amendment is currently being put through the Senate “hotline” process, allowing all senators an opportunity to review it before it reaches the Senate floor. The agreement was reached directly between Senator Kennedy and Schumer, despite the initial suggestion that Kennedy should withdraw his amendment.
With this agreement in place, Senator Kennedy has affirmed that he has no intentions of obstructing the progress of the minibus appropriations bill.
Earlier in the week, Schumer engaged in a spirited discussion with Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairwoman Susan Collins of Maine over the Kennedy amendment, which Schumer had previously criticized as a “poison pill.” This exchange took place on the Senate floor. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, Senate Republican Whip John Thune, and Senator Kyrsten Sinema also participated in discussions on Tuesday to address the deadlock.
Senator Kennedy expressed his surprise at being denied a vote on his gun rights-related amendment, noting, “They blindsided me. My amendment was submitted five weeks ago, and everybody looked at it without objections. All of a sudden, a group of Democratic lawmakers took issue with it.”
Kennedy emphasized that under the current system, if a veteran seeks assistance from the VA for financial difficulties and is placed in conservatorship, their name is automatically added to a list, and their firearms are confiscated.