Inspector General Investigation of Allegations of Retaliatory Personnel Actions Taken In Response to Making Protected Communications Regarding Sexual Assault

Floor Speech

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Mrs. WAGNER. I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for yielding and for her leadership on this particular issue, and for the wonderful bipartisan support that we've all shown here today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation that would create a safe reporting environment for military sexual assault victims and would demand accountability from our military leaders.

As a mother with a son currently serving in the 101st Airborne, I know all too well the many hardships and sacrifices that our military men and women face while protecting our country. Every precious moment I have to be able to call or Skype with my son, I am constantly reminded of all of the things that are on his and every other soldier's mind as they are keeping our country safe so that the rest of us can have peace of mind back here at home.

Every servicemember from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard bears such a heavy burden to which we all owe our utmost gratitude, and it infuriates me to think that for many of these young men and women, the situation of sexual assault is one of the things they must deal with as they are preparing themselves to face the enemy.

So it is with incredible sadness and frustration that I come before you all today to speak on the increasing incidence of sexual assault in our military and how very few of those cases end up being reported. For many victims of sexual assault, the fear of retaliation by other members of the military prevents them from reporting these crimes, and as a result, they must bear the burden of their emotional and physical pain alone and in silence.

I stand here today to say that our servicemembers who sacrifice so much for the cause of liberty and put themselves in the line of duty should have absolutely no worries about their own liberties and whether they will face retaliation for reporting reprehensible and abusive crimes committed against them.

This legislation would hold the responsible individuals accountable for their actions and would require an inspector general investigation into allegations of retaliatory actions taken against victims who have reported alleged instances of rape, sexual assault, and other forms of sexual misconduct in the military. Existing law already provides these whistleblower protections for a member of the Armed Forces who reports sexual harassment. And by extending these protections to reporting of more serious crimes of sexual assault, it is not only just common sense, it is simply the right thing to do. And it needs to be done now.

By doing nothing, we are implicitly allowing the continuation of this deplorable behavior and allowing those who have committed these crimes to go unpunished. Not addressing sexual assault in our military threatens to erode our Armed Forces from within and gives people considering enlisting, along with their families, even more to worry about as they consider the great responsibility of serving our country.

I am so proud of my son and the rest of our Armed Forces, and I will do everything to protect the integrity and the reputation of our military. This legislation is the first step we can take in fixing this problem and shows that we take these allegations very seriously.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this bipartisan bill that will help protect our servicemembers as they protect us.

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