Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) urged Senate Appropriations Committee leaders to increase funding for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs in the upcoming government funding package.
In a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee Chair Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-KS), Klobuchar highlighted the need to support VAWA programs at the highest possible funding level.
“As a former prosecutor, I have seen firsthand how domestic violence and other abuses destroyed families and had a lifelong impact on victims. I have also seen how VAWA programs help to keep people safe from domestic violence and sexual abuse,” Klobuchar wrote. “These programs provide lifesaving services for victims of intimate partner violence and support to help people rebuild their lives. Generously funding these programs is necessary to build on the progress that has been made since VAWA was first passed.”
In March, Klobuchar led 27 of her Senate colleagues in successfully urging President Biden to include strong support and funding for VAWA programs in his FY2022 budget. In FY2021 these programs received $513.5 million in funding.
The letter can be found HERE and below:
Dear Chair Leahy, Vice Chair Shelby, Chair Shaheen, and Ranking Member Moran:
As you negotiate the FY 2022 appropriations package, I write to urge you to continue to advocate for strong funding for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) programs at the highest possible level. These programs provide lifesaving services for victims of intimate partner violence and supports to help people rebuild their lives.
Since VAWA was enacted in 1994, the law has helped hundreds of thousands of people who have experienced domestic violence and sexual assault. The programs have provided access to transitional housing, legal aid representation, counseling services, and other critical supports. VAWA has not only helped to improve the criminal justice system’s response to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, it has also raised public awareness about the prevalence of these crimes.
As a former prosecutor, I have seen firsthand how domestic violence and other abuses destroyed families and had a lifelong impact on victims. I have also seen how VAWA programs help to keep people safe from domestic violence and sexual abuse.
That is why Congress must fund these programs at the highest possible level, including funding to help victims live independently from their abuser, combat domestic violence and child abuse in rural communities, improve the investigation of sexual assault committed in tribal communities, and address sexual violence on college campuses. Generously funding these programs is necessary to build on the progress that has been made since VAWA was first passed.
Thank you for your continued support for victims of intimate partner violence and for prioritizing these programs in the appropriations process.
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