Congress expected to leave town with no action on guns or Zika

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress is expected to exit Washington for a months-long recess with no action on gun control, despite mass shootings in recent weeks and uproar from Democrats who have pushed for new legislation. Efforts to fund the fight against the Zika virus have also stalled, threatening the speedy development of a vaccine to protect women and their babies from Zika.
House Republican leaders tried last week to move legislation that would let federal authorities block gun sales to suspected terrorists but only if they could prove in court within three days the suspect was planning to engage in terrorism. It went nowhere as conservatives said it was too restrictive on firearms and too lax on battling extremism. Democrats also opposed the bill, saying it would be ineffective.
Republicans said Tuesday no votes are expected this week before Congress adjourns for seven weeks until September. Emerging from a morning caucus meeting, Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, suggested instead of legislating on the gun issue, GOP leaders think more talk is needed.
"The action is to go back to our communities and have a candid conversation about the challenges we face as a country," Flores said, adding  "there's no need for us to try to cram a majority position down at this point."
Partisan tensions over guns have been high since a mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, last month. House Democrats staged a lengthy House floor sit-in two weeks ago to demand gun control votes.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Republicans want "to have a good conversation where we calm things down" after the shootings in Orlando and another mass shooting last week in Dallas that targeted police officers. He said they want to find ways to improve relations between communities and police.
In the Senate, several gun control measures were blocked or stalled in June amid partisan disagreement. One of those bills was a compromise offered by moderates from both parties that would prohibit guns from a modest list of terror suspects.
Senate Democrats, meanwhile, were repelled in a last-gasp effort to revive a $1.1 billion effort to combat the Zika virus, which has run aground largely over GOP-drafted provisions to block Planned Parenthood from receiving money under the measure.
President Barack Obama made a $1.9 billion emergency request in February, but Congress has moved slowly in response.