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WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Lawmakers are working to address nationwide calls for police reforms, but Republicans and Democrats have different ideas on what that may look like.

Two lawmakers on different sides of the aisle Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) agree Congress needs to enact laws to prevent police brutality in African American communities.

Im hoping to roll out a package of solutions to some of the issues that we face as a nation, the Republican senator from South Carolina said.

People are crying out for justice, Bishop added.

But they have different ideas on how to get the job done.

Scott was one of the first senators to call for the arrest of all four officers involved in the death of George Floyd. The Minnesota Attorney General charged all four this week.

Its a step in the right direction, maybe even a leap in the right direction, Scott said.

Scott said the next step should be the passage of his Walter Scott Notification Act that would force states to report on officer-involved shootings.

Floyds death has sparked nationwide outrage, with protests spanning the globe.

In Washington, the mayor joined protesters Friday in sending a message to the federal government by painting the words Black Lives Matter on the road that leads directly to the White House.

Bishop said he has watched the protests on the streets in his state of Georgia for Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, a black man that was shot while jogging by two white men in South Georgia.

Bishop said Congress needs to take sweeping action now.

Making our democracy and making our country a country of freedom and justice for all is going to be a continuous effort, Bishop said.

Bishop said House Democrats will soon introduce an extensive package of police reforms that would lay out new national policing standards.

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Republicans, Democrats disagree on how to address police reforms - ABC 4

Environmental issues are emerging as a major factor in some key Senate races as voters show increasing concern on topics such as climate change and conservation measures.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpFederal plan to contain Washington protests employs 7,600 personnel: report GOP Rep calls on primary opponent to condemn campaign surrogate's racist video Tennessee court rules all registered voters can obtain mail-in ballots due to COVID-19 MORE and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellTrump vows to campaign against Murkowski after senator's criticism Senate advances conservation fund bill, House introduces companion Paul clashes with Booker, Harris over anti-lynching bill MORE (R-Ky.) are seeking to boost the electoral appeal of Sens. Steve DainesSteven (Steve) David DainesSenate advances conservation fund bill, House introduces companion The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden on the cusp of formally grasping the Democratic nomination Daines wins GOP Senate primary in Montana MORE (R-Mont.) and Cory GardnerCory Scott GardnerSenate advances conservation fund bill, House introduces companion John Hickenlooper defies subpoena to appear for virtual hearing on ethics complaint Senate Republicans urge Trump to tone down rhetoric on protests MORE (R-Colo.) by putting their support behind legislation that permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which provides money to protect and conserve habitats of endangered species, develop parks and outdoor recreation sites and protect sensitive forests.

The bill, called the Great American Outdoors Act, ismoving closerto a formalSenate vote and was introduced to the House on Thursday. It has wide support in Montana and Colorado, and Trump has vowed to support it in a bid to boost Daines and Gardner as they face tough challenges from Montana Gov. Steve BullockSteve BullockThe Hill's Campaign Report: Biden on the cusp of formally grasping the Democratic nomination Gianforte wins Montana gubernatorial primary Daines wins GOP Senate primary in Montana MORE (D) and former Colorado Gov. John HickenlooperJohn HickenlooperJohn Hickenlooper defies subpoena to appear for virtual hearing on ethics complaint The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Coal company sues EPA over power plant pollution regulation | Automakers fight effort to freeze fuel efficiency standards | EPA watchdog may probe agency's response to California water issues MORE (D), respectively.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, Sen. Ed MarkeyEdward (Ed) John MarkeySenate Dems introduce bill to keep pilots and bus and train operators safe Markey, Harris, Booker to introduce resolution calling for elimination of qualified immunity GOP Massachusetts governor: Trump's compassion 'nowhere to be found' MORE (D) is leaning hard on his environmental record, including his role in co-authoring the Green New Deal resolution with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezEngel says he refuses to seek NYT endorsement over Cotton op-ed The Hill's Campaign Report: Republicans go on the hunt for new convention site Trump calls New York Times 'fake newspaper' after headline change MORE (D-N.Y.), as he seeks to fend off a primary challenge from Rep. Joe KennedyJoseph (Joe) Patrick KennedyTo address the mental health consequences of the pandemic, follow Kennedy's lead Markey calls Trump 'scum' over comments on George Floyd protests Mental health crisis puts everyone on the front lines MORE III.

The growing importance of environmental issues in these races comes as voters, particularly Democrats, express concerns about issues such as climate change. A Morning Consult poll conducted last month found that 71 percent of voters are concerned about climate change, with 38 percent responding that they are very concerned.

Gardner and Daines teamed up to introduce the Great American Outdoors Act, which would permanently fund the LWCF. The bill was introduced to the House on Thursday by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and appears to have a good chance of passage in both chambers.

Democratic strategist Steve Welchert noted that Gardner needs a win on an issue that resonates in Colorado, a critical state in the battle for the Senate this fall.

Hes got to show some bona fides on land use and water quality and public lands because its an area where historically Republicans dont perform very well, Welchert said.

Gardner has campaigned on his support for funding the LWCF, running ads on Facebook on the issue in March and April. More than 30 percent of Colorados territory consists of public land, making conservation a key issue for its voters.

Colorado College found in February that 80 percent of Western voters, including 84 percent of Montanans and 81 percent of Coloradans, said that issues involving clean water, clean air, wildlife and public lands are important in deciding whether to support a public official. For 44 percent of Western voters, it was a primary factor.

Defending Colorado is a vital part of Republican plans to hold onto their 53-47 majority at a time of growing worries about their electoral prospects. Democrats need to flip three or four seats, depending on who wins the White House, to take control of the chamber and are aggressively targeting the state.

Trump, in his annual budget proposal, had proposed slashing funding for the LWCF, which uses oil and gas revenue to fund conservation efforts, by about 97 percent.

But Trump later called on Congress to send him a bill that fully funds the program, giving a shoutout to Daines and Gardner.

"When I sign it into law, it will be HISTORIC for our beautiful public lands. ALL thanks to @SenCoryGardner and @SteveDaines, two GREAT Conservative Leaders!" he tweeted in March.

Gardner spokeswoman Meghan Graf characterized the senator as a commonsense, bipartisan politician with a record of protecting the best Colorado has to offer in a statement, adding that he was able to secure the President's support for funding the LWCF.

Gardner is expected to face Hickenlooper, though the former governor will need to first win the Democratic primary set for June 30. The seat is rated as a toss-up by nonpartisan prognosticator the Cook Political Report.

Hickenlooper made climate change a centerpiece of his failed presidential bid, though he faced scrutiny from the left over his perceived closeness with the fossil fuel industry. Hickenlooper has defended his efforts to regulate the sector.

Hickenlooper is also in the midst of a legal fight over a complaint from a Republican-led group that he violated state law by accepting private flights. He has strongly denied wrongdoing and said the complaint is politically motivated.

Montana is also looking like it will see a competitive Senate race after Democrats nominated a formidable candidate in Bullock, who has led Daines in some recent polling. The seat is rated as lean Republican by Cook.

Daines campaign spokesperson Julia Doyle told The Hill in an email that the senators efforts with the President are directly responsible for the historic step were about to take for LWCF.

Doyle also highlighted Dainess work on conservation legislation in the Rocky Mountains, North Fork Lands Withdrawal Area and the Gallatin National Forest, which were ultimately approved by Congress.

Democrats, however, are looking to attack Daines on his environmental record as they look to blunt any potential positive impact from passing the Great American Outdoors Act.

Daines getting credit for advancing the Land and Water Conservation Fund is a total sham. Its a clear election year play, said Democratic strategist Barrett Kaiser, who has also worked on LWCF issues.

Conveniently now that Steve Daines is up for reelection youre starting to see momentum on it in the Republican-controlled Senate, he added, particularly referencing a bill that Daines previously introduced that advocates say would have removed certain public lands protections.

The importance of environmental issues in Senate races extends beyond the Western states.

In liberal Massachusetts, Markey has emphasized his Green New Deal leadership and touted endorsements of environmental groups, including the progressive Sunrise Movement, as he strives to make his case ahead of his Sept. 1 primary against Kennedy.

Ed Markey wanted the environment to be the issue that drove the race, said Democratic strategist Michael Goldman, who has ties to both candidates but has endorsed neither.

Markeys campaign manager John Walsh said that the pandemic illuminates the importance of the Green New Deal, a broad policy framework that seeks to mobilize the U.S. economy to fight climate change.

As the economic challenges that are clearly coming to view around the impacts of COVID, [the] Green New Deal is the solution, Walsh said. It is a blueprint for how to bring the economy back, to do it in a way that is smart, is green and is effective at putting people to work right away.

Kennedy, meanwhile, has worked on environmental inequality. In February, he co-sponsored a bill aiming to address environmental issues faced by nonwhite and low-income communities, which has not yet passed the House.

From the day I announced this Senate campaign, I have shown up in the communities left out of past climate debates, the congressman told The Hill in a statement. From the earliest days of this pandemic, I have demanded those same neighborhoods are at the forefront of our response.

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Vulnerable Republicans embrace green issues in battle to save seats | TheHill - The Hill

WASHINGTON In a rare break with President Trump, multiple Senate Republicans on Tuesday faulted his response to civil unrest around the nation, rejecting his move to crack down on demonstrators and rushing to express sympathy with black Americans who have taken to the streets to protest police brutality against them.

The day after Mr. Trump threatened to unleash the United States military to rout protesters around the nation, the reactions of Republicans some condemning the president directly, others carefully suggesting that they held a different view underscored the politically precarious choice they face between endorsing the presidents divisive approach or breaking with him and risking a party backlash just months before the November elections.

There is no right to riot, no right to destroy others property and no right to throw rocks at police, Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, said in a statement. But there is a fundamental a constitutional right to protest, and Im against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the word of God as a political prop.

Mr. Sasse was referring to the remarkable spectacle that unfolded Monday evening when the police fired flash-bang explosive devices and a chemical agent and used officers on horseback to drive away peaceful protesters outside the White House. Minutes later, Mr. Trump strode out and marched across Lafayette Square to brandish a Bible outside St. Johns Episcopal Church, which had been damaged in a fire during unrest the night before.

Mr. Sasses comments echoed those of Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only black Republican in the Senate, who denounced the move in unequivocal terms during an event hosted by Politico.

If your question is, Should you use tear gas to clear a path so the president can go have a photo op? the answer is no, Mr. Scott said.

Those rebukes, and much harsher criticism of the presidents actions by Democrats in the House and the Senate, reflected a rising sense of alarm at Mr. Trumps behavior as protests of police violence and racial discrimination reached a boiling point after the death of an African-American man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis police custody.

With Democrats demanding a legislative response to the issues underlying Mr. Floyds death, Republicans are facing increasing pressure to back up their critical statements against the president and expressions of concern about persistent racism with something tangible.

We are going to propose and push for bold action, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, said Tuesday. What matters is that we respond to a national wave of unrest with action.

This was hardly the first time Republicans on Capitol Hill found themselves pressed to distinguish between their views and those of a president who in times of trouble often seeks the affirmation of his most conservative supporters.

From the moment he took office, Republicans have been called upon to respond to the presidents loaded statements, hyperbolic tweets and scathing criticisms of others as well as his dealings with foreign governments and his positions on harsh immigration measures, trade, congressional authority and other matters. Most Republicans have typically demurred, not wanting to provoke a caustic Twitter attack from the president or alienate party voters devoted to Mr. Trump.

But the current situation may be the most volatile for Republicans yet, with Americans already enduring the twin public health and economic calamities of the coronavirus pandemic almost uniformly outraged at the case of Mr. Floyd, whose brutal death after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes was captured on video. Many Americans in both parties are increasingly unsettled by both the violence stemming from the protests and Mr. Trumps demands that governors and local authorities take a harder line.

With their hold on the Senate to be decided in an election five months away, Republicans will need the votes of suburban and independent voters if they hope to retain seats in states such as Colorado, Arizona, North Carolina and Maine. In a sign of how lawmakers view the political landscape, moderate Democrats in conservative-leaning districts emphatically rejected Mr. Trumps response to the protests in Washington, suggesting that they see little sympathy for the presidents approach among their constituents.

Despite Mr. Trump anointing himself your president of law and order, many Senate Republicans have adopted a much less bellicose attitude, emphasizing the need to get at the root causes of the upheaval racial discrimination and a well-established pattern of excessive use of force by the police rather than targeting protesters.

You can understand the outrage, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority leader, said Tuesday about the national anguish over Mr. Floyds killing. Mr. McConnell, whose hometown, Louisville, was in turmoil over Mr. Floyds death and recent episodes involving the police in Kentucky, said the grievances were legitimate and he did not dispute the role racism played in the events.

There is no question that there is residual racism in America, he told reporters. No question about that. It has been a longtime dilemma, and we all wish we could get to a better place.

But when Mr. Schumer tried to force action on a symbolic resolution to condemn both the violence and Mr. Trumps actions, Mr. McConnell objected, chiding Democrats for pushing a measure that he said addressed neither justice for black Americans nor peace for our country in the face of looting.

Instead, it just indulges in the myopic obsession with President Trump that has come to define the Democratic side, Mr. McConnell said.

Still, other Republicans joined in the criticism of Mr. Trump.

To me at a time like this, the president ought to be trying to calm the nation, said Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, who is facing a difficult re-election race in a state Mr. Trump plans to visit this week. She said she found it painful to watch peaceful protesters subjected to tear gas so he could go to a church he had visited just once before, and added that Mr. Trump came across as unsympathetic and as insensitive to the rights of people to peacefully protest.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, told reporters that Mondays events did not reflect the America that I know.

I dont think militarization is the answer to the anxiety, the fear, the distrust, the oppression we feel right now, Ms. Murkowski said. It is not the response.

Even Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Mr. Trumps chief Republican defenders, said he had been flummoxed by the presidents actions.

I dont know what the purpose of the trip was, Mr. Graham said. I do know that last night was a bad night and we need less bad nights.

Representative Will Hurd of Texas, the lone black Republican in the House, joined a peaceful protest in Houston on Tuesday evening, marching alongside his constituents and Mr. Floyds family.

What we are showing you today in Houston is that we can be outraged by a black man getting murdered in police custody, Mr. Hurd, who is retiring, said in a video on Twitter. We can be united for change in our society, and we can be thankful that law enforcement is enabling our First Amendment rights.

Other Republicans fell back on their practiced defense, saying they could not make a judgment because they had not seen the incident, while others defended the president, noting that some of the protests had grown violent and given way to looting.

We have to restore order, said Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin. This cant go on. So hopefully, you know, the president talking that way will put a little spine in some of these governors that arent calling out the National Guard, to the extent that they need to to restore order.

Mr. Johnson claimed not to have seen protesters being violently driven back so that Mr. Trump could walk to the church, and Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the second-ranking Senate Republican, said the episode had been in the eye of the beholder.

Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, commended Mr. Trump, saying, Im glad the president led by going to St. Johns Church. It was the protesters, not the president, who had abused power, Mr. Cruz said.

Democrats moved quickly to try to take political advantage of the public mood.

Its time for John Katko to find the backbone to state clearly whether he stands with President Trump or the clergy denouncing his tear-gassing of Americans peacefully protesting, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said in a statement, singling out a third-term moderate Republican from New York who is facing a difficult re-election race in a district Hillary Clinton won in 2016. The committee sent out identical statements about roughly a dozen other endangered House Republicans.

Democrats said they were skeptical that Republicans would be willing to challenge Mr. Trump too aggressively. They said they suspected Republicans would treat the issue as they had gun control in the past, promising action immediately after mass killings but letting the issue pass quietly without action once the uproar subsided.

But Democrats made it clear that they did not intend to let the issue go.

Ive heard words from people on both sides of the aisle, speaking toward the injustice of racism that exists in our country Ive heard words, Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey, said in a passionate floor speech. Its on us in this body to do something.

Catie Edmondson contributed reporting.

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In Rare Break, Some Republicans Reject Trumps Harsh Response to Unrest - The New York Times

Stop me if youve heard this one. Our Republican legislators, for all their faults, are decent, fair-minded folks committed to the common interest its the cesspool of Washington politics that is to blame for the dire straits in which we find our country. Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) argued along such lines at a Stanford in Government event the Thursday before last, contending that most conservative congresspeople are good guys in a bad spot. According to Flake, his erstwhile colleagues traditional though they may be are essentially moral, genuine, just. Many even wish Trump were out of office, replaced by someone a little steadier and a little saner, and this silent majority would curb the excesses of the current administration if only it were electorally tenable to do so. To hear Flake tell it, these are honest men and women caught in a bind, and, if necessary, they will do whats right. Maybe so, maybe so. Yet Flake fails to answer the obvious question: Where are these honorable Republicans now?

Our nation is in the midst of a crisis not seen since World War II. It has rarely been more important for our representatives in government to put their personal incentives aside and defend the life and liberty of those they are sworn to protect. Yet what do we see? Partisan warfare, political waffling, state-sponsored medical malpractice on a massive scale. Hard-heartedness. Racism. And to top it off, a president that encourages violence and a governing party that lets him. Again and again, those trustworthy, noble Republicans roll over on every issue imaginable. Susan Collins, independent-minded feminist, voted for Kavanaugh. Lindsey Graham, friend of Joe Biden, called for a conspiracy-based investigation into Bidens son. Richard Burr profited off the pandemic. Rand Paul attacked the director of the National Institutes of Health. There isnt an ounce of spine or a flicker of empathy among the lot of them, and Flake is naive to think that these people are working for anyone but themselves.

More naive is the idea that the Republican Party can be saved. Flake believes that a resurgence of leadership is all that stands between his former colleagues and moral redemption. A wave of individualist thinkers could sweep away the rot at the core of our politics, and we could all get back to the business of bettering lives. A nice thought. But Flake is mistaken for a reason as simple as it is sad: The modern GOP has ceased to be an instrument for a cogent political ideology. It is not the party of limited government and personal freedom indeed, those principles apply only when the other side is in control. Nor is it the party of social conservatism: The occupant of the White House is proof enough of that. At present, the GOP is merely the party of power, of keeping it and wielding it, of doing whatever it takes to win. It stands for nothing. It means nothing. Its battles are political, and its judgment are amoral, and little matters to it except victories and votes. And that is why Flake is incorrect: No amount of leadership or rugged individualism can rekindle a flame of conscience long-since extinguished.

Nowhere is this abdication of duty more evident than in Republican responses to the extrajudicial killing of George Floyd. Absent are grief or reproach or empathy. Their tears are for the dollar, not the dead, and their every action conveys the disdain they have for the issues at hand. Its Ted Cruz calling peaceful demonstrations an abuse of power. Its Mitch McConnell condoning the tear-gassing of protestors. Its the decades of parliamentary inaction, indifference and ignorance that brought us to this point, and the refusal to engage with police brutality even now. These arent Senators; these are hardly people. They are unrecognizable as public servants, and Flake is wrong to see them as such.

Still, some empathy is warranted. Flake was one of the few partisans to stand up to Trump, and for that he deserves credit. Perhaps his perspective is understandable the man is a conservative, exiled or not, and no one wants to break with their party. But to maintain the fiction that these are just good guys in a bad spot, that Republican complicity is not ruthlessness but weakness, is to entirely underestimate a political organization Flake knows all too well. McConnell said it himself: Its the judges, stupid. The GOP is not standing idly by out of fear of an executive tweet or a primary challenge. They are not afraid of this president. They are enabling him, empowering him, using him for their own ends. Trump is a riot of the American soul, and Republican lawmakers are the true looters, picking through the rubble of a ruined nation for judicial appointments. So tell us, Jeff Flake: Wheres the honor in that?

Contact Sean Casey at spcasey at stanford.edu.

The Daily is committed to publishing a diversity of op-eds and letters to the editor. Wed love to hear your thoughts. Email letters to the editor to [emailprotected] and op-ed submissions to [emailprotected]

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The myth of the honorable Republican senator - The Stanford Daily

"I think the country is definitely looking for healing and for calm, and I think that's the tone the President needs to project when talking about what is happening around the country," Senate Majority Whip John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, told CNN. "I think he needs to strike a tone that fits the level of frustration country's experiencing right now, and I hope in the future, he'll do that."

Sen. John Cornyn, also a member of Senate GOP leadership, told CNN that "I think it's important" for Trump to offer more of a unifying message in the midst of the deep unrest across the county.

"I presume at some point he will address the nation," said Cornyn of Texas. "If I were advising him I would say we need it sooner rather than later."

At a time when Trump could be consoling the nation, Republicans -- who rarely break from Trump -- are voicing their disapproval that the President has offered little in the way of condolences and instead taken to Twitter to incite divisions and cast blame.

"Some of his tweets have not been helpful," Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, said at a news conference Monday. "It would be helpful if he would change the tone of his message."

The message from his own party comes as protests have grown and spread throughout the country from Los Angeles to Washington with no end in sight.

"We are obviously in a divisive situation right now that is escalating. ... He needs to make more unifying comments," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, speaking on the Senate floor, called on Trump "to help heal the racial division."

"The President should help to heal the racial divisions in this country," Collins said. "It is at times like this that a President needs to speak to the nation, to pledge to right wrongs, and to calm inflamed passions."

Asked later if she thinks the President needs to offer a unifying message, Collins said: "I do."

Sen. Cory Gardner, who like Collins is facing reelection next year, didn't criticize Trump directly but added: "We all have to do better every day -- we have to."

"Those are not constructive tweets without any question," Sen. Tim Scott, the only black Republican in the US Senate, told Fox on Sunday. "I will say this, I spoke with the President (Saturday) morning, and he and I had a good conversation about the next steps. I told him, what I am going to tell you. I told him 'Mr. President, it helps us when you focus on the death, the unjustified in my opinion, the criminal death of George Floyd.'"

On Monday during a private call with governors, the President continued to blast others for what has unfolded, accusing some states of being weak and arguing that law enforcement needed to "dominate" protestors in order to contain the demonstrations in cities across the country.

"You have to dominate or you'll look like a bunch of jerks, you have to arrest and try people," the President told the governors in a call from the basement White House Situation Room, according to an audio recording of the call obtained by CNN.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wouldn't answer questions Monday about whether he believed Trump had struck the appropriate tone in his handling of the unrest. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wouldn't answer questions Monday about whether he believed Trump had struck the appropriate tone in his handling of the unrest. Others also declined to comment about Trump's tweets, including Sen. David Perdue of Georgia, who faces voters in the fall.

"Well, obviously this is an evolving situation -- I think this is a difficult position the President is in," said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida when asked if Trump should shift his tone to emphasize unity.

On Monday, McConnell demonstrated a starkly different tone from the President from the floor of the Senate.

"In no world, whatsoever, should arresting a man for an alleged minor infraction involve a police officer putting his knee on a man's neck for nine minutes while he cries out 'I can't breathe' and then goes silent," McConnell said. "To me, to a great many of my fellow Kentuckians and to many outraged Americans, these disturbing events do not look like three isolated incidents, they look more like the latest chapter in our national struggle to make equal justice and equal protection of the law into facts of life for all Americans."

This story has been updated with additional developments Monday.

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GOP senators critical of Trump's response to unrest following Floyd's death - CNN