On the recordMarch 17, 2021
I thank the gentleman for his leadership. Madam Speaker, I stand today in a moment of history where we cannot go back. Have we heard that before? Women cannot go back. Women cannot continue in an intimidated fashion to tragically be subjected to men who violently attack them. The LGBT community cannot go back and be subjected to those who would be violent against them. Native American women cannot go back. They cannot go back. They cannot go back to pueblos and reservations and not have any protection for those who violate those sacred places, rape them, and then rush to jurisdictions outside and think they are protected. Immigrant women cannot go back. That is what this legislation is about. It is a product borne of meticulous and thoughtful research and countless engagement with those on the ground working ultimately and intimately on these very important issues daily. We began this long journey and hard-fought battle under the leadership of Republicans--I wrote the bill in 2018--who at the time refused to engage in putting forward their own version of VAWA when it expired in 2018 while they held the majority. The President, the Senate, the House, they did nothing. The Judiciary Committee would not even take the bill up, and it was supported by over 200 groups. But we continue to push forward on behalf of all victims and survivors to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, first led by the President of the United States, then-Senator Joe Biden.…
