GSA

Floor Speech

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Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, I rise to join a strong and growing group of my colleagues in support of the Violence Against Women Act, a commonsense bill that since it was first signed into law has always been an issue we could build a consensus around, both Democrats and Republicans alike. The reason for this is quite simple.

There is no room for tolerance of violence against women in the home anywhere in our society, and when we are talking about the safety of our families, there is simply no space for partisanship. That is why I am calling on my colleagues to not seek to block or delay this important piece of legislation any further. To do so is a disservice to the families so deeply affected by domestic violence every single day.

Anyone who is guilty of domestic abuse should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Any victim of abuse should be empowered to speak out and to have access to help and support. Keeping women and families safe is a basic commonsense principle and one we have easily found agreement on since the bill was first passed, and we should be able to again agree on it today.

Every day an average of three women are murdered by a husband, a boyfriend, a partner. Every single day 600 women are raped or sexually assaulted. Millions of women and families rely on the help and support that the Violence Against Women Act provides to keep them safe. It is outrageous to turn the Violence Against Women Act into a political circus. When we allow ourselves to get bogged down in politics as usual, we are telling women and families across the country that their safety can wait for the next election.

Let's do better. Let's be better. Let's agree that women deserve access to basic justice and basic safety, and let's show the American people that we, as a body, can do what is right.

I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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