The Slatest

John Boehner Suggests Wait-and-See Approach to Obama’s Gun Control Wish List

Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, R.-Ohio, returns to his office after a vote on the House floor Jan. 15, 2013, on Capitol Hill
Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, R.-Ohio, returns to his office after a vote on the House floor Jan. 15, 2013, on Capitol Hill

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

Now that President Obama has unveiled his package of gun control proposals, the scene shifts to Capitol Hill, where the administration will have to convince enough lawmakers in both chambers to take action. The biggest and most obvious hurdle is in the House, where Republicans have a clear majority and have shown little desire to work with the president.

House Speaker John Boehner didn’t immediately attack the president over his gun control proposals, which in the current political climate is noteworthy. Still, his spokesman made it pretty clear that the speaker and his fellow Republicans are in no hurry to take up the issue anytime soon. “House committees of jurisdiction will review these recommendations,” spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement to reporters. “And if the Senate passes a bill, we will also take a look at that.”