[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 43 (Thursday, April 6, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E540]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DEMOCRATIC WOMEN'S WORKING GROUP BUDGET

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                     HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 2006

  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, violence against women is on the 
rise in this country. Sadly, young women have increasingly become 
victims of violence and domestic abuse in episodes on college campuses 
and in communities across America.
  One-third of teens report some form of abuse in their romantic 
relationships.
  Forty percent of teenage girls report knowing a peer who has been hit 
by a boyfriend.
  These are our daughters, our sisters, our friends and our neighbors.
  The idea that our society is still struggling to cope with such 
violence is simply unacceptable. We must do more.
  Yet the Republican majority's budget resolution mirrors the 
President's budget suggestion to cut funding for Violence Against Women 
Programs by $19.5 million dollars--cutting the very programs that 
prevent domestic violence and aid survivors.
  These programs are our first line of defense for battered women 
across the country--and too often, sadly--our last line of defense.
  It is time to get our fiscal house and priorities in order. We must 
carefully consider the message we send to domestic violence survivors 
by cutting funding intended as a lifeline in their most vulnerable 
hour.

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