Grassley Opening Statement at Hearing on VAWA
Prepared Opening
Statement by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
Ranking Member,
Senate Judiciary Committee
Hearing
on Renewing and Strengthening the Violence Against Women Act
Tuesday, October
5, 2021
I
want to welcome everyone to our hearing on the Violence Against Women Act,
or VAWA. I supported the enactment of the original Violence Against Women
Act in 1994 and have voted to reauthorize the grant programs authorized
by VAWA multiple times. When I wasn’t able to support a Democrat-led effort to
reauthorize, I introduced
my own proposal that would have protected
and enhanced the program. This year, I again led my colleagues in sending a letter
to Senate appropriations leaders, urging that Congress continue to prioritize
funding of VAWA programs. In previous years, when I sent similar letters to the
appropriators, Senators Shelby and Leahy were incredibly responsive to my
requests and supportive of these programs, so I want to thank them for working
with me to champion their funding.
As
a member of this Committee, I’ve made it a top
priority to champion related
measures to expand rights and services for victims of intimate partner
violence. This year, for example, I joined a number of committee members in
cosponsoring legislation
to ensure that the Crime Victims Fund will receive an additional $1 billion in
deposits each and every year. Services to victims and survivors of intimate
partner violence, sexual assault and child abuse are accorded priority in
funding, under the Victims of Crime Act, which created this important
fund. In
2016 and again
this year, I also worked closely with a young sexual assault survivor,
Amanda Nguyen, and the organization she founded on bills to enhance the rights
of sexual violence survivors in the criminal justice system.
In
early 2018, I led this Committee’s efforts to press
the FBI for information on its response to allegations of sexual abuse,
lodged by Olympic athletes against their former team doctor. I’ve been seeking
justice for the victims of Larry Nassar’s abuse, and I have some timely
questions for DOJ, who refused
to attend our hearing last month, about accountability
for those who failed
these victims. As the former chairman of this Committee, I also worked
closely with Senator Feinstein on legislation
to impose a mandatory reporting requirement on coaches and instructors who
witness abuse when working with young athletes.
I
also sponsored and led this committee in approving legislation
to renew and update the Trafficking Victims Protection Act – as many victims
of sex trafficking also are victims of intimate partner violence. I worked with
Sen. Cornyn on the Justice
for Victims of Trafficking Act, shepherding it through this Committee
and the Senate. And I led our Committee in approving a measure, sponsored by
former Senator Hatch, to make more resources available to victims of child
pornography.
Renewing
and extending the Violence Against Women Act is our next priority, and
that’s why we’ve convened today’s hearing. Before we begin, I want to take this
opportunity to mention that it’s important that we adopt short term extensions
of VAWA, while bipartisan VAWA reauthorization negotiations take place. I also
want to recognize several of my Republican colleagues, who are not members of
our committee but have joined us on a members’ panel to express their support
for VAWA and share their views on the reauthorization. Senators Ernst, Hyde
Smith and Capito, I thank you for being here. I’d also like to thank Ms. Monaco
for attending today on behalf of the Department of Justice.
