WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Mike Lee (UT), Rand Paul (KY) and Ted Cruz (TX) released the following statement regarding the pending vote on the motion to proceed to new gun control legislation:

“This morning the Senate will vote on the motion to proceed to the firearms bill (S.649). It is expected that the Toomey-Manchin provision announced yesterday will replace the current language regarding background checks. Yet, as of this morning, not a single senator has been provided the legislative language of this provision.  Because the background-check measure is the centerpiece of this legislation it is critical that we know what is in the bill before we vote on it.  The American people expect more and deserve better.

“Unfortunately, the effort to push through legislation that no one had read highlights one of the primary reasons we announced our intention to force a 60 vote threshold.  We believe the abuse of the process is how the rights of Americans are systematically eroded and we will continue to do everything in our power to prevent it.”