Kurt's Work

Congressman Kurt Schrader today applauded House passage of a bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization.

“This long sought reauthorization of VAWA brings with it critical and necessary resources and protections for our mothers, sisters and daughters, who have fallen victim to domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in Oregon and across the nation,” Schrader said. “While this reauthorization has taken much longer than it ever should have, I am pleased that the House leadership finally brought the bipartisan version to a vote and that thousands of Oregonians can breathe easier knowing they are not alone in their fight against abuse.”

On February 12, the Senate passed a strong, bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization by a bipartisan vote of 78 to 22, with the support of every Democrat, every woman Senator and a majority of Senate Republicans. The final bipartisan bill is designed to ensure that all victims of domestic and sexual violence receive the protection they need.

Instead of promoting the bipartisan Senate-passed bill, House Republicans promoted a GOP substitute that would have rolled back essential protections in the Senate bill for Native Americans, immigrants and members of the LGBT community. The House failed to pass the dangerous GOP substitute, and the House then voted on passage of the bipartisan Senate-passed bill, which passed by a bipartisan vote of 286 to 138. The GOP substitute was opposed by a coalition of more than 1,300 organizations.