Blake Moore: “In a letter written by our friend and colleague Tom Cole, a Member of Congress, he says that he does not support the…”

“In a letter written by our friend and colleague Tom Cole, a Member of Congress, he says that he does not support the House substitute to VAWA because it does not adequately recognize sovereignty or give them the tools that they need to combat violence against women. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Why I'm Voting Against the House Substitute Amendment to S. 47 Dear Republican Colleague: I want to let you know why I will vote against the House substitute to S. 47, the Violence Against Women Act (``VAWA''). While the House substitute to VAWA has improved tremendously over what this body passed last Congress, it falls short of giving tribes what they need to keep their women safe. Unlike the Senate version, the House substitute fails to recognize existing tribal sovereignty that is enshrined in the Constitution by requiring tribes to seek DOJ certification before exercising jurisdiction over non-Indian offenders, and waives tribes' sovereign immunity. It doesn't make sense to force tribes to abdicate part of their sovereignty to exercise another part of their sovereignty. Like most Republicans, I believe in moving control away from the federal government towards local governments. Tribal governments are local governments, and tribes do a good job of taking care of tribal citizens when they have the resources to do so.…”