At 11:25 a.m., EST, exactly 24 hours after House Democrats seized the floor and staged an unprecedented sit-in to force Speaker of the House Paul Ryan from Wisconsin to bring two bills on gun violence to the floor for a vote, Democrats show no signs of letting up. Thirteen hours after Speaker Ryan forced a procedural rule change so he and House Republicans could ram two bills through the House, and leave two days early for their planned recess, Democrats are still going.
They’ve since moved their historic action outside the House.
When You’re Scared, Change The Rules
At about 10 p.m. ET, June 22, Speaker Ryan began his cowardly end-run around the sit-in by calling the House to order to vote on unrelated procedure that changed the rules, and ultimately passed.
Republicans outnumber Democrats, so it was highly unlikely that Democrats would have been able to stop the change from happening, but they had to try given the historical nature of what’s happened in the wake of the Pulse LGBT mass shooting in Orlando that left 50 dead and 53 wounded.
Having passed on party lines and without debate, the change allowed Republicans to call to order a new day starting at 2:30 a.m. ET, which meant they could perform the next day’s business early – and leave early. The speaker adjourned until that time and, according to CNN,
“A dramatic scene unfolded as throngs of Democrats — some holding signs with the names of victims of gun violence — remained in the House well, chanting ‘no bill, no break’ and ‘shame shame shame.’ They also sang the protest anthem ‘We Shall Overcome.‘”
Cowards Always Run Away
Republicans returned to the chamber at 2:30 a.m. without Speaker Ryan, but they put two appropriations bills on the floor in a move just as cowardly. They began with a Zika bill, but a Republican representative moved to quash the usual hour long debate between both sides, knowing Democrats would use their time to talk about gun violence and the gun control bills on which they want to vote.
That vote passed on party lines, and after ramming another large Appropriations bill through the same way, Republicans adjourned the House just after 3 a.m., and they won’t return until July 5.
The last thing Republicans wanted was House Democrats getting their protest on-air using official cameras.
It remains to be seen whether either of the bills largely criticized by Democrats and the White House for not being enough, will pass a senate vote, let alone be signed by President Barack Obama.
Historic Gun Violence Requires Historic Action
Most Congressional Democrats attended the sit-in in solidarity, and the president praised Rep. Lewis’ action.
Thank you John Lewis for leading on gun violence where we need it most. https://t.co/vctfqAH5Wt
— President Obama (@POTUS44) June 22, 2016
Representative John Lewis from Georgia started the sit-in on June 22 by taking the floor, and not leaving. Others quickly joined in after his impassioned plea for help to raise awareness, and to bring Republicans to account for their allowing themselves to be bribed by the National Rifle Association.
Gun violence requires more than moments of silence. It requires action. In failing that test, the Senate failed the American people.
— President Obama (@POTUS44) June 21, 2016
"If we’re going to raise our kids in a safer, more loving world, we need to speak up for it." —@POTUS #NoBillNoBreak https://t.co/GSw4TkZxKB
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) June 22, 2016
This is the same Rep. Lewis who stood with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his “I Have A Dream” speech. The same Rep. Lewis who had his head bashed in during Bloody Saturday, and the same Rep. Lewis who’s been re-elected to the House 14 times since his initial election in 1986. According to CNN,
“John Lewis still bears the scars from being beaten unconscious. He said he thought he was going to die. He racked up 40 arrests and suffered numerous physical attacks and serious injuries but remained committed to non-violent protest … Congressman Lewis was awarded the highest civilian honour by President Barack Obama, the Medal of Freedom.”
#BREAKING: #NoBillNoBreak to end after more than 25 hours, aide says https://t.co/BmakZH2asu pic.twitter.com/5ui8TyP4Qb
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) June 23, 2016
Earlier this morning, about 20 hours into the sit-in, Democrats refused to vacate the House when asked by police who were about to perform the daily House security sweep. According to CNN, the officer said,
“I’d ask that you clear the floor while that happens.”
House Minority Leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi from California, who was speaking at the podium at the time, responded, “That’s not going to happen,” and police conducted the sweep around them while she kept on speaking.
During her time at the podium, Rep. Pelosi said that when, “hell freezes over,” is when the sit-in would end.
The Democrats agreed with Rep. Pelosi’s sentiment, some saying they’ll use whatever tool they have to keep the issue alive – and they had during the entire sit-in.
At 25 and a half hours into the sit-in, Rep. Lewis and other representatives are still speaking, and there’s no sign of anyone letting up, even though they’ve now moved outside.
View Representative Beto O’Rourke’s Facebook Live feed.
View Representative Eric Swalwell’s Periscope feed here.
Watch CSpan’s interview with Rep. Lewis on how he planned the sit-in:
Featured image: Screenshot Of Boston Globe Tweet Via Twitter.
