Gun curbs top Democratic agenda as US Congress reconvenes

Washington (AFP) - US lawmakers return to Congress Monday after a summer rocked by multiple mass shootings, with Democrats pressuring President Donald Trump and his Republicans to take action to restrict access to guns.

Senate and House members face a packed legislative agenda in the coming weeks, including the need to fund government for the new fiscal year that begins October 1 or risk a shutdown.

The White House is also keen to push negotiations with Congress over the revised NAFTA trade pact, if Trump wants the deal with Canada and Mexico to become law before the 2020 presidential campaigns dominate Washington.

But guns top the Democrats' immediate to-do list. Party leaders say they aim to mark up three gun control bills this week, and are pressing for the Senate's Republican leadership to allow a vote on a landmark gun background check bill that cleared the House earlier this year.