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[Page S3022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Debbie Smith Act
Mr. President, on another topic, as I highlighted earlier this week,
the Senate has unanimously passed the Debbie Smith Act of 2019, which
would provide critical resources for law enforcement to test rape kits,
prosecute criminals, and deliver justice for victims. This was a major
bipartisan achievement, and I look forward to working with our House
colleagues to get this legislation to the President's desk as soon as
possible.
But there is more we need to do to assist victims of violence and
sexual assault. For example, today I am filing the Help End Abusive
Living Situations--or HEALS--Act, which will provide domestic violence
survivors with expanded access to transitional housing. This will help
these victims permanently leave their abusers, rebuild their lives, and
begin a long-term healing process.
Even more pressing, folks on both sides of the aisle agree that we
need to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act, also
known as VAWA. It is something I strongly support and an issue our
friend and colleague Senator Ernst continues to champion here in the
Senate.
Republicans and Democrats say we must do more to provide services for
victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and while we certainly
had some disagreements on the way to do that, there is no question that
VAWA has traditionally been a bipartisan commitment. That is why I was
so shocked earlier this year when House Democrats blocked the
Republican effort to reauthorize this critical law before it lapsed
last February.
The current violence against women law lapsed in February because
House Democrats refused to allow us to extend it. Why would they do
that? If they claim to be supportive of efforts to protect women and
others from violence and assault, why would they let the very law that
authorizes the various programs Congress has paid for in the past--why
would they let that lapse? Well, sadly, this is where politics rears
its ugly head.
We were seeking a short-term reauthorization of the existing Violence
Against Women Act so bipartisan negotiations could continue on a long-
term update and extension of the law, but House Democrats recklessly
blocked this reauthorization of VAWA because they were seeking to add
controversial provisions that should never be a part of a consensus
bill--certainly not one that enjoys broad bipartisan support.
In the face of this political jockeying by House Democrats, I am
proud to say that the Appropriations Committee did the right thing: It
continued to fully fund all Violence Against Women Act programs through
the remainder of this fiscal year. So this means that House Democrats,
when they tried to kill VAWA by refusing to reauthorize it, actually
failed to accomplish their goal if their goal was to deny women and
other victims of violence the critical funding needed for these
programs.
Despite the efforts they undertook to let VAWA expire, critical
domestic violence and sexual assault prevention programs will continue
to receive full Federal funding until we can reach a bipartisan
consensus agreement and update the law. So good for the Appropriations
Committee for making that happen, but my point is that VAWA should
never be used as a political plaything or pawn.
I am somewhat encouraged by ongoing, bipartisan negotiations here in
the Senate, and I commend Senator Ernst for her commitment to this
effort and look forward to supporting a long-term extension of VAWA
that is done in the right way--through negotiation and agreement, not
political gamesmanship. That is the wrong way to do things. We know
better--if people will simply stop the political posturing and
political games and do the work the American people sent us here to do.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.