Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise today in support of S. 1925, the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization of 2011. Since its enactment in 1994, VAWA has enhanced the investigation and prosecution of incidents of domestic and sexual violence and provided critical services to victims and their advocates in court. It has truly been a lifeline for women across the country, regardless of location, race, or socioeconomic status. For these reasons, VAWA's two prior reauthorizations were overwhelmingly bipartisan. This year, however, a number of my colleagues are opposing the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization because they object to, among other things, the authority that it restores to Native American tribes to prosecute those who commit violent crimes against Native women. This bill's tribal provisions address the epidemic rates of violence against Native women by enabling VAWA programs to more directly and promptly respond to their concerns and needs. These tribal provisions are critical to the lives of Native women and doubly important to me as chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and a Native Hawaiian. Native women are 2\1/2\ times more likely than other U.S. women to be battered or raped. These are extremely disturbing statistics: 34 percent of Native women will be raped in their lifetimes and 39 percent will suffer domestic violence. That is more than one out of every three Native women. We must come together to put a stop to this.…”