Jackie Speier: “I thank my dear friend, the chair of the Committee on Appropriations. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment…”

“I thank my dear friend, the chair of the Committee on Appropriations. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment to block funding the DeVos title IX rule. Just imagine: You have endured the horror of campus sexual assault, and now you are asked to relive your trauma with live hearings and direct cross- examination. You are told where you must be assaulted and how much you must suffer before you can avail yourself of your civil rights. God forbid you are assaulted while studying abroad or an off-campus frat party--title IX may be closed off to you. Or you are among the one in three survivors who drop out of college, so now your school is forbidden from investigating the complaint. It is cruel. It is inhumane. It undermines student safety and equal access to education. Madam Speaker, title IX should prevent sex discrimination, not enable it. That is why I appreciate this amendment being taken up.”