Political Quotes

“Mr. Presudent, on the floor yesterday, the majority leader claimed that last Congress, Senate Democrats ``failed to bring any trafficking legislation to the floor.'' I do not normally do this, but I must correct the record. The facts are exactly the opposite, and the Senate's history must be clear on this. Last Congress, despite the opposition of the majority of Senate Republicans, including Senators McConnell and Cornyn, Senate Democrats reauthorized our Nation's two cornerstone pieces of legislation that protect victims of sexual violence and human trafficking--the Violence Against Women Act, VAWA, and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, TVPA. Combined, these two bills reauthorized nearly $1 billion a year in funding for survivors of these horrible crimes. As we updated and modernized these landmark laws, we listened to the survivors and the advocates who work with them every day to make sure that our legislation responded to the real needs of real people. We were not looking for gimmicks or shortcuts. Instead, we dedicated hours of time learning about what was working and what needed to be improved in order to best meet the needs of survivors. The end result was two bills that did more to prevent sexual assault and human trafficking and to reach more victims than ever before. Because of our comprehensive and inclusive approach, these bills had the strong and vocal support of more than 1,400 local, State and national organizations.…”