[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 22, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Debbie Smith Act

  Mr. President, on another topic, as I highlighted earlier this week, 
the Senate has unanimously passed the Debbie Smith Act of 2019, which 
would provide critical resources for law enforcement to test rape kits, 
prosecute criminals, and deliver justice for victims. This was a major 
bipartisan achievement, and I look forward to working with our House 
colleagues to get this legislation to the President's desk as soon as 
possible.
  But there is more we need to do to assist victims of violence and 
sexual assault. For example, today I am filing the Help End Abusive 
Living Situations--or HEALS--Act, which will provide domestic violence 
survivors with expanded access to transitional housing. This will help 
these victims permanently leave their abusers, rebuild their lives, and 
begin a long-term healing process.
  Even more pressing, folks on both sides of the aisle agree that we 
need to reauthorize and strengthen the Violence Against Women Act, also 
known as VAWA. It is something I strongly support and an issue our 
friend and colleague Senator Ernst continues to champion here in the 
Senate.
  Republicans and Democrats say we must do more to provide services for 
victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, and while we certainly 
had some disagreements on the way to do that, there is no question that 
VAWA has traditionally been a bipartisan commitment. That is why I was 
so shocked earlier this year when House Democrats blocked the 
Republican effort to reauthorize this critical law before it lapsed 
last February.
  The current violence against women law lapsed in February because 
House Democrats refused to allow us to extend it. Why would they do 
that? If they claim to be supportive of efforts to protect women and 
others from violence and assault, why would they let the very law that 
authorizes the various programs Congress has paid for in the past--why 
would they let that lapse? Well, sadly, this is where politics rears 
its ugly head.
  We were seeking a short-term reauthorization of the existing Violence 
Against Women Act so bipartisan negotiations could continue on a long-
term update and extension of the law, but House Democrats recklessly 
blocked this reauthorization of VAWA because they were seeking to add 
controversial provisions that should never be a part of a consensus 
bill--certainly not one that enjoys broad bipartisan support.
  In the face of this political jockeying by House Democrats, I am 
proud to say that the Appropriations Committee did the right thing: It 
continued to fully fund all Violence Against Women Act programs through 
the remainder of this fiscal year. So this means that House Democrats, 
when they tried to kill VAWA by refusing to reauthorize it, actually 
failed to accomplish their goal if their goal was to deny women and 
other victims of violence the critical funding needed for these 
programs.
  Despite the efforts they undertook to let VAWA expire, critical 
domestic violence and sexual assault prevention programs will continue 
to receive full Federal funding until we can reach a bipartisan 
consensus agreement and update the law. So good for the Appropriations 
Committee for making that happen, but my point is that VAWA should 
never be used as a political plaything or pawn.
  I am somewhat encouraged by ongoing, bipartisan negotiations here in 
the Senate, and I commend Senator Ernst for her commitment to this 
effort and look forward to supporting a long-term extension of VAWA 
that is done in the right way--through negotiation and agreement, not 
political gamesmanship. That is the wrong way to do things. We know 
better--if people will simply stop the political posturing and 
political games and do the work the American people sent us here to do.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.