Political Quotes

“This is a monumental day. I am proud to rise alongside my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to speak out in support of our legislation, which aims to address a crisis afflicting our Nation: that of missing and murdered indigenous women. I hail from the State of Washington, and I am very familiar with how Native American Tribes are deeply integrated into the culture of the Pacific Northwest, as well as our whole country. I was raised just across the river from the Yakama Nation reservation in central Washington, but I have got to say, I, like many others, was not aware of the disproportionate murder rate indigenous women suffer, 10 times the national average. At the end of 2018, this crisis and the need for a solution was brought to me by the Tribal communities that I represent, and I was made aware of just how devastating the shortfalls of our justice system are for Native American and Alaska Native women and girls. While the statistics we have are absolutely staggering--and you have heard them--the fact of the matter is we don't even know the full extent of the crisis. In my home State of Washington, Native Americans make up about 2 percent of the State's population, but a recent report by the Washington State Patrol shows that indigenous women account for 7 percent of the State's reported missing women. The families of dozens of women still await answers as cases of missing or murdered indigenous women remain open or turn cold.…”