Annie Kuster: “Sexual assault in our military is nothing short of a crisis. We owe it to our men and women in uniform and to our…”

“Sexual assault in our military is nothing short of a crisis. We owe it to our men and women in uniform and to our veterans too to do all that we can in the United States Congress to prevent military sexual violence, improve medical services for survivors and hold attackers accountable. We must safeguard those who report these crimes and ensure that they are not retaliated against for doing the right thing. That is why I am a proud sponsor of a bipartisan bill, H.R. 1864, which is included in the House National Defense Authorization Act we are voting on this very week. Introduced by my good friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and Loretta Sanchez, this important legislation would strengthen protections for whistle blowers who report sexual violence in the military. This reform has bipartisan support in both Chambers, 102 cosponsors in the House and the strong backing of many of the new representatives who are focused on working across the aisle to actually get things done. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1864 and to continue working together to end sexual violence in our military. ____________________”