Political Quotes

“Mr. President, in 1994 and again in 2000 and 2005, the Senate took a strong, bipartisan stance against acts of domestic and sexual violence that alter the lives of far too many American families and especially American women. With the passage and later reauthorizations of the Violence Against Women Act, Congress provided invaluable aid--sometimes lifesaving aid--to hundreds of thousands of Americans. There is no reason we cannot reauthorize this legislation again this year with overwhelming bipartisan support, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers of Congress to support this bill. Since its passage, the Violence Against Women Act has provided comprehensive support to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and to the Federal, State, and local agencies that confront this scourge every day. The original legislation passed in 1994 laid a strong foundation that helped establish a coordinated response to violence against women. Reauthorizations in 2000 and 2005 strengthened that foundation. Today, through violence prevention grants, services to survivors of sexual assault, legal assistance, transitional housing grants, assistance to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, and other efforts, VAWA has made an enormous difference. Deaths due to violent acts by intimate partners have decreased significantly.…”