Letter to the Hon. Paul Ryan - Vote on VAWA Reauthorization Act

Letter

Dear Speaker Ryan,

The landmark Violence Against Women Act ushered in transformative progress to protect women from violence and abuse, and continues to provide essential support to victims, survivors and communities to ensure they have the legal tools and resources necessary to seek justice and receive care.

As Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to ensure that every woman, in every part of our society, can live free from violence. Yet, the continued refusal over many years of House Republicans to extend VAWA's critical protections to include vulnerable communities, particularly Native American, immigrant and LGBTQ communities, represents a blatant dereliction of that duty.

In July, Congresswoman Jackson Lee introduced the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which safeguards and further builds on VAWA's vital protections. This common sense reauthorization bill has 163 cosponsors and has the support of the nonpartisan groups representing communities around the country, and deserves strong bipartisan support in the Congress. It is shocking and shameful that under your leadership, the GOP has refused to bring this reauthorization bill to the Floor for a vote.

Republicans' decision to include only a short-term VAWA reauthorization in the must-pass minibus spending bill is nothing short of an abdication of our responsibilities to women in our country. Democrats' support for keeping government open does not diminish our resolve to ensure that a strong, long-term VAWA reauthorization be passed immediately. There are just four legislative days left until the Violence Against Women Act's critical protections expire on September 30. We urge Republicans to end their assault on the rights and safety of women, and immediately begin working with Democrats to pass the VAWA Reauthorization Act swiftly and on a bipartisan basis.

Thank you for your urgent attention to this important matter.

best regards,

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