WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, on Sunday joined CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper to discuss tragic shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan this week and Russia’s increasing aggression along the Ukrainian border.

On the tragic shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan this week, Murphy said: “100 people every day are dying from gunshot wounds…The fact of the matter is we have the votes in the House and the Senate for [a] universal background checks bill. We have a president who will sign it...The rules right now are what prevent us from being able to enact the will of the public. But I also understand that this is, I think, one of the great social change movements of this nation’s history that we can’t let failure or obstacle stop us. We’re going to have to continue to build a movement.”

Murphy continued: “I won’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, right. I want universal background checks. I want a ban on assault weapons but I will settle for something much less because that will save lives. So I’ve been in negotiations all year with Senator Toomey, with Senator Cornyn, with Lindsey Graham, trying to find a compromise that can get 60 votes in the Senate. Maybe this shooting will bring people back to the table. But we haven’t taken a vote this year in part because I’ve asked Senator Schumer for the room to try to negotiate that compromise you are talking about.”

“I wish my Republicans colleagues didn’t have epiphanies on this issue only after mass school shootings, but that tends to be what happens,” Murphy concluded.

On Russia’s increasing aggression along the Ukrainian border, Murphy said: “I do think that there’s no substitute for person to person diplomacy, and so I hope that this virtual meeting between President Biden and President Putin can bear fruit. But let me say this – If Russia does decide to move further, it would be a mistake of historic proportions for Moscow.”

Murphy continued: “Ukraine can become the next Afghanistan for Russia if it chooses to move further, and it’s up to us in the Congress that we are going to be diplomatic, political and military partners with Ukraine.”

“Right now we have an amendment on the floor of the Senate that would dramatically increase the amount of lethal aid – I support it. Republicans right now are blocking that amendment from being considered. In addition, Republicans are blocking our ambassadors from being confirmed, in particular in the EU where a lot of this work will be done to try to bring our allies together. So, we’ve got to get our Republican colleagues to understand this is the threat we believe it be,” Murphy concluded.

Following the shooting, Murphy took to the Senate floor to call out Republicans’ hypocrisy in speaking about the “sanctity of human life” while refusing to take action to stem the gun violence that claims thousands of lives each year. Murphy also delivered remarks on the U.S. Senate floor about the cost of inaction on gun violence and called for unanimous consent to pass legislation that would expand background checks, which the vast majority of Americans support. Republicans blocked Murphy’s unanimous consent request.

Click here to view the entirety of Murphy’s interview.

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