© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WATCH: Following Moment Of Silence, Democrats Shout Down Speaker Ryan

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.
Win McNamee
/
Getty Images
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

We're a little late to this story, but we think it's worth noting. Last night, after Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan called for a moment of silence on the House floor for victims of the Orlando massacre, he tried to get back to regular order.

House Democrats were having none of it. Watch:

What you're hearing is Democrats shouting, "Where's the bill?" and "No leadership." Democrats were angry that Ryan had not let the body consider bills intended to curb gun violence.

South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Democrat, began to tell Ryan that he was concerned that several bills drafted after the Charleston, S.C., shooting were not being considered.

The Associated Press reports:

"Before Clyburn could finish, Ryan ruled his question out of order and directed the House to move to the next vote.

"A handful of Democrats left the House floor during the moment of silence, including Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes. Himes said earlier Monday in an interview that he's done with the moments typically held on the House floor after mass shootings, calling them 'obnoxious expressions of smug incompetence' and the perfect metaphor for congressional inaction on guns.

"Himes' Connecticut district is close to Newtown, where a gunman killed 20 first-graders and six adults at an elementary school in 2012."

Today, Ryan held a press conference and did not mention gun control. Instead he said President Obama was not doing enough to deal with "radical Islam."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content