The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) became federal law in 1994. VAWA brought groundbreaking legal relief for victims of domestic and sexual violence and provided funding for innovative programming to address the needs of survivors. Congress has reauthorized VAWA periodically since then. VAWA expired in at the end of 2018, and Senate bipartisan negotiations to pass a critical bill to reauthorize VAWA were abandoned earlier this month.
Speculation about why Senators gave up on their efforts to pass legislation to protect victims centers on politics and gun rights. Joe Biden, who hopes to run for president next year, was the principal author of the original VAWA. Republicans may not want to draw attention to one of his successes. The 2019 reauthorization bill would prohibit abusers from gaining access to guns. Not surprisingly, the NRA and all who are indebted to this powerful gun lobby stand in opposition to the current reauthorization efforts.
The House passed its bill to reauthorize VAWA 6 months ago. The Senate’s inaction is endangering victims of domestic violence across the country. We urge senators to go back to work and pass their VAWA bill. Literally thousands of lives are at stake.
