“Today, our Democratic majority will pass and pass the Assault Weapons Ban legislation: a critical step in our ongoing fight against the deadly epidemic of gun violence in our country,” Pelosi said in a letter. to his caucus members.
Moderate and vulnerable Democrats had pushed for a vote on police legislation before leaving town in an effort to refute GOP attacks on police funding, but CBC members had concerns and argued pressure for a language of accountability.
The deal to combine the two pieces of legislation was reached late Thursday night and was negotiated between Pelosi, Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty of Ohio and moderate Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey. But other members of the black and progressive congressional caucuses were frustrated that they were left out, which ultimately explains why Democratic leaders decided to split the bills.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a meeting on Friday morning and sources say many were frustrated at not having equal bargaining power.
“It was supposed to happen in several weeks to give us time to negotiate tougher police accountability measures,” a staffer at a CBC member told CNN. “Then they offered us this deal in the middle of the night without any hearings, committees or time for members to read the text let alone debate.”
Asked about the disagreement by CNN, Beatty denied there were any issues within her caucus.
“There is no disappointment with the Congressional Black Caucus,” she said. “We have a big tent. And what I’m most proud of is that we were able to go out there today and play a leadership role. Look where we were 48 hours ago.”
She added: “There was no failure here.”
The House is expected to leave Washington for a month-long recess beginning Friday afternoon. Pelosi could call lawmakers back to town before September for specific circumstances, which she likely would if Senate Democrats pass a separate climate change and prescription drug pricing bill in the coming weeks.
House Democrats held an open procedural vote for more than an hour on Friday as Pelosi, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Gottheimer and others huddled on the floor of the House to negotiate. Ultimately, news broke during the vote that the leaders were splitting the package.
“This is an ultra-lethal weapon, designed to kill enemy soldiers on the battlefield,” said committee chair, Democratic Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York. “Yet the gun industry has flooded our neighborhoods, our schools, and even our churches and synagogues with these deadly weapons and enriched themselves doing so.”
The committee also released the findings of its investigation, which alleges that gunmakers selling assault rifles have used questionable marketing tactics, including appealing to white supremacists, “preying on” the masculinity of young men and running ads that imitate video games.
This story was updated with additional developments on Friday.
CNN’s Melanie Zanona and Josh Campbell contributed to this report.
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