Trump urges Congress to overhaul nation's prison system

close

Video

Trump: We grieve for terrible loss of life at Santa Fe High

President Trump addresses Texas high school shooting, vows his administration will do everything possible to protect nation's students.

President Donald Trump is trying to jump-start efforts in Congress to overhaul the U.S. prison system and help more former inmates successfully re-enter society.

Trump says lawmakers in the House and Senate need to "work out their differences, get a bill to my desk -- I will sign it."

His administration has pushed for a plan that focuses on helping released prisoners with their return to society and rehabilitation. The president says overhauling the system "unites people from across the political spectrum."

But five influential Democrats are opposing a House bill as a "step backward" and flawed, and they say it doesn't include changes to sentencing guidelines.

Their opposition raises questions about whether it could pass in a divided Congress run by Republicans, with a slim Senate majority.