Pete Aguilar: “I appreciate the question, and this is such a timely and important topic that the country needs to address. I am…”

“I appreciate the question, and this is such a timely and important topic that the country needs to address. I am incredibly pleased with the bipartisan success that the negotiations have led to, to date. As the gentleman knows, those conversations continue to be ongoing, but the majority believes that those conversations are progressing in a way that is hopeful toward addressing this issue. I think both sides realize, and I hope the minority realizes, the importance of making changes to protect our communities. I know the gentleman is a former mayor, as I am as well. So we have dealt with a lot of these issues at the local level. So what I would say is, Senator Scott, Congressman Stauber, and Congresswoman Karen Bass have been engaged in this discussion. We want to give them the latitude and the flexibility to continue those discussions. I wouldn't agree with the characterization that the gentleman from Georgia made about where the negotiations are, but I can tell you that we are committed to seeing this done. We are committing to getting this done and putting a bill on the floor that will have strong bipartisan support.”