Toomey says Biden not ‘helpful’ amid negotiations on gun legislation

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said on Sunday that President Biden has not been “helpful” amid congressional negotiations on gun reform in the wake of a string mass shootings in the U.S. 

“I think the president might have been a president who would reach across the aisle try to bring people together,” Toomey told moderator Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“But he’s chosen not to take that approach,” Toomey added. “Since day one, he has sided with the far left of his party and really not reached out to Republicans.”

Toomey, who is part of the bipartisan group that is discussing creating gun reform legislation, also said that “the president is not being very helpful.”

“I think at the end of the day, this is going to come down to whether we can reach a consensus in the United States Senate.”

Biden last week urged Congress to pass legislation on gun reform, suggesting laws to expand background checks, implement a national red flag law system and ban assault rifles. 

Toomey also said in the CBS interview that he hopes half of his Republican colleagues in the Senate will vote for a potential deal on gun reform legislation if one arises. 

“My hope is we’ll get at least half the Republican conference,” Toomey told Brennan. “That should be the goal here. We’re going to have to be realistic about what can do that.”