After a white supremacist drove hundreds of miles last Saturday to terrorize a predominately Black community in Buffalo, New York, killing ten people and wounding three in the process, several prominent congressional Democrats took to Twitter to extend condolences and call for gun reform.

But instead of putting another set of gun control measures on the floor that are dead on arrival once they reach the Senate, House Democrats on Wednesday will vote on legislation that would hone in on domestic extremist groups.

Top Democrats planned to put the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act up for a vote last month but faced immediate resistance from House progressives who believed a previous version of the bill made marginalized communities susceptible to targeting from offices with little oversight. Those concerns seem to have been eased now.

On his way back from Buffalo (more notes from his trip below, btw…), President Joe Biden said the government has enough laws on the books to deal with what’s going on now when he was asked if he thought it was time for a domestic terrorism statute.

“Look, part of what the country has to do is look in the mirror and face the reality. We have a problem with domestic terror. It’s real,” he told reporters. “People don’t want to hear me saying it. But that’s what the intelligence community has been saying, that’s what the military has been saying for a long time. There’s nothing we can do about this. Nothing we can do about this.”

Biden added that there are a lot of people like the Buffalo supermarket shooter who are deranged and easily influenced by conspiracy theorists and won’t be stopped until the country collectively admits there’s a problem.

“We have to admit it,” the president said. “I don’t know why we don’t admit what the hell is going on.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration is still studying the details of the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act but pointed to steps the White House has already taken in recognition that domestic terrorism is the most urgent threat in the US right now.

She also reiterated President Biden’s call for additional resources for law enforcement to respond to these threats to the homeland.

“That’s what we want to continue to do: Provide them with the assistance they need when these sad events happen that they’re able to react in the way that’s saving lives and protecting lives the best that they can,” Jean-Pierre said.

The legislation would authorize dedicated domestic terrorism offices within the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice and the FBI to analyze and monitor domestic terrorist activity and require the federal government to take meaningful steps to prevent extremist violence.

Additionally, it expands the availability of information on domestic terrorism and its relationship with hate crimes. The legislation also would create an interagency task force to analyze and combat white supremacist and neo-Nazi infiltration of the military and federal law enforcement agencies. And it empowers the FBI to assign special agents or liaisons to each field office to investigate hate crimes incidents connected to domestic terrorism.

The bill was introduced by Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois and quickly passed the House in 2020 before being blocked by Republicans in the Senate.

“Congress hasn’t been able to ban the sale of assault weapons. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act is what Congress can do this week to try to prevent future Buffalo shootings,” Schneider said. “We need to ensure that federal law enforcement has the resources they need to best preemptively identify and thwart extremist violence wherever that threat appears.”

👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Good Wednesday morning and welcome to Supercreator Daily, your guide to the politicians, power brokers and policies shaping how digital creators work and live in the new economy.

Here’s what’s happening today in politics:

— President Biden this morning will receive his daily intelligence briefing followed by a briefing from his senior leadership team on hurricane preparedness and responsiveness.

— Vice President Harris this morning will travel to New London, Connecticut to speak at the US Coast Guard Academy graduation before returning back to DC this afternoon.

— Dr. Biden this morning will join US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice, mental health advocate Selena Gomez and a group of young leaders for a conversation on youth mental health. Then she will travel to Ecuador, the first of three nations she’ll visit through next Monday in advance of the US Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles next month.

— The House is in and will take up bills on domestic terrorism threats and the baby formula shortage.

— The Senate is in and will continue work on the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill.

Notes from Biden’s Buffalo trip

In the gym of the Delavan Grider Community Center in Buffalo, New York’s second-largest city, President Biden stepped to a podium with an unmistakable message to a community and nation ravaged again by gun violence.