Political Quotes

“I have nothing but great respect for my colleague who offered this; and I do wish that we could do this together and not politicize it. But that is exactly what we are doing. This motion to recommit would just totally undermine this bill because it is a short and incomplete reauthorization; and it undermines the Violence Against Women Act and this important effort to reauthorize it. This bill takes out things that have become so basic, like the Rape Prevention Fund, testing of rape case kits, which is a horror across this country in how many haven't been tested. It takes away child abuse training. None of that is in this motion to recommit. And what makes me really sad is that this bill is one of the most successful laws this House has passed. In the 25 years since it was enacted, violence against women by a spouse, or an intimate partner, has dropped by 65 percent. We need to build on that progress. Since then, victims, survivors, and the communities where we live have relied on the Congress to help provide resources needed to prevent and investigate these crimes and to assist survivors. I remember what it was like. I remember what it was like when you called the police and they didn't come because your father was an important man in town. I remember what it was like when someone on our college campus was raped, and the police came to them and said: ``It's your fault'' and would do nothing.…”