Today I am calling on Senator Ernst to stand up to Mitch McConnell and the NRA and demand that her colleagues follow her lead and return to Washington. Enough is enough.

Joni Ernst has shown her ability to respond to mass shootings quickly. Just two days after the workplace shooting in Aurora, Illinois that killed 5 and wounded five officers, Senator Ernst showed her support for a top NRA legislative priority by launching a fundraising effort. She then tweeted her support for the “National Right to Carry” initiative, including a link to “Support the Second Amendment.”

On Face the Nation on March 25, 2018, Senator Ernst was asked if through her vague comments she was trying to distance herself from the NRA, Ernst replied, “I am - no, I am not separating myself from the NRA.” This response comes as no surprise since Senator Ernst has received a whopping $3,124,273 from the NRA, seventh amongst her colleagues.

On February 27, 2019, the U.S. House passed H.R.8 – Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019. Mitch McConnell and Joni Ernst have blocked the Senate from considering the bill. They have now stalled for 161 days.

Since the passage of H.R.8, there have been 209 mass shootings in the U.S. that resulted in 62 individuals killed and 405 injured.

The US Senate should immediately return and vote on H.R.8, which was passed 161 days ago.

My thoughts and prayers are with Senator Ernst in that she does the right thing and demands a vote on the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.

Please join me and call on Senator Ernst to demand her colleagues follow her to Washington and vote on H.R. 8 – Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.