Justice For Victims Of Trafficking Act Of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, it is over 100 days since the 114th Congress has been in session led by a new majority following the November election. This Chamber can point to significant accomplishments in this short period of time.

Now, none of us is spiking the football or saying that we have done miraculous things, but it is undeniable that we have made discernible, concrete progress on important matters that affect the lives and the quality of life of the American people.

In only 3 weeks into the new Congress, the Senate already had more votes on amendments than the Chamber did in all of last year. What that means is that, on a bipartisan basis, Senators have been able to contribute their ideas on legislation--how to improve it and get votes on it. That was something we promised voters that would change after the last election. In the new Congress and under the new majority leader, Senator McConnell, we have delivered.

Just a few weeks ago, the Senate passed a budget that actually balances in 10 years--something the Chamber has done only once since 2009. More recently, we sent to the President's desk the so-called doc fix, which, more importantly, ensured access to the doctors and hospitals that our seniors need. We also made great strides in providing the American people a final say on the Iran nuclear deal that is being negotiated now by the President's representatives. We have made progress on bipartisan legislation that ensures the United States will get the best deal with our trading partners in pending negotiations--opening up American goods and services to global markets, which is good for our economy. It is good for jobs, and it is good for better wages for hard-working American families.

But I must say, even with all of these accomplishments, I am most proud of the deal we were able to reach this week concerning the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

I have noticed one thing since I have been here in Washington; it is that the rich and powerful seem to do pretty well. They are well represented on K Street, and they are not hesitant about letting their needs be known. But one indicator of the character of a nation is how that nation--our Nation--treats those who are the most vulnerable in our society, those who actually need our help, who do not have lobbyists or other people working on their behalf in the halls of Congress.

So this legislation, I think, actually is a very positive step because it demonstrates that we have not fallen deaf to the cries of those who actually need our help--the victims of human trafficking.

This legislation will be instrumental in helping victims of sexual abuse and trafficking recover from a life in bondage, and it will provide stronger tools for law enforcement officials to track down and punish those who want to keep them in the shadows, who want to continue to make profit from the pain, the anguish, and the involuntary servitude of typically young women between the ages of 12 and 14. And often these young women--these children--are treated as criminals and not as the victims they truly are. With the passage of this bill, we are one step closer to reining it in.

So I thank our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, some of whom are here in the Chamber, for working with us in the spirit of trying to accomplish something important and actually getting it done. I know the distinguished ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, with whom I partnered on a number of important topics, is here, and I thank him for his contribution. And the Senator from Washington, Mrs. Murray, has been very important in the negotiation and in getting us to yes.

Finally--and I know time is short, so I will have more to say on this later. But there are literally 200 outside groups--faith-based groups, law enforcement organizations, and other organizations--that worked on the sidelines cheering us, asking us to get this done--groups such as Rights4Girls, Shared Hope International, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, the End Child Prostitution and Trafficking organization, and the National Association to Protect Children. These groups and hundreds of others across the country have literally been our boots on the ground.

I also think it is important to recognize organizations such as Google Ideas and the McCain Institute, particularly Cindy McCain, who joined me in Houston recently to talk more about this important topic.

So there are a lot of people who contributed to get us to where we are today. We are not done yet. We have some important votes in just a few minutes--a total of 8 votes today--before we complete our work on this legislation, but I think this is a good day. This will be a good day for the Senate and for the victims of human trafficking.

I yield the floor.

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I want to make clear that the first amendment we will vote on relative to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act will remove the Hyde amendment which is the longstanding, 39-year consensus that taxpayer funds will not be used to fund abortions. This amendment would completely strip that Hyde amendment, and it would undermine the delicate compromise that has been reached on the important legislation. The next vote we will have will be on that compromise piece of legislation, the Cornyn-Murray-Klobuchar legislation. It would literally cut funding for human trafficking victims as compared to this compromise.

I would urge our colleagues to stick with the bipartisan compromise and to vote against the Leahy amendment.

I yield the floor.

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