STATEMENT: Wittman on the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act

WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) voted against a reauthorization of the politicized version of the Violence Against Women Act featuring multiple hyper-partisan riders. Congressman Wittman is an original co-sponsor of H.R. 1892, which would cleanly and fully reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act without any of the controversial additions introduced in the Democrat-led bill. In response to today's vote, Congressman Wittman stated:

"I fully support the original Violence Against Women Act. That's not the bill we voted on today. After House Democrats allowed the original Violence Against Women Act to expire in 2019, they have twice introduced a reauthorization featuring highly partisan provisions, that has no chance of becoming law. These provisions actually weaken protections for women by curtailing the resources available to law enforcement for prosecuting those who commit crimes against women, as well as diluting the resources available to victims by expanding them to men and other populations. Furthermore, these provisions promote unproven methods of victim treatment, infringe upon Second Amendment rights without due process, and fail to provide reasonable exemptions for religious organizations. VAWA was bipartisan for nearly two decades, and Congress must move forward with a bill that returns to the law's original intent.

Wittman continued, "Violence against women is not - and should not be made into - a partisan issue. Our goal should be to serve victims, prevent domestic violence, and provide law enforcement with the resources they need to address crimes against women. To those ends, I joined H.R. 1892, a clean and full reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, as an original Co-Sponsor. We must act to reauthorize VAWA, and I stand ready to support a bipartisan bill that does not use women and girls to advance partisan agendas. Regardless of how the Democratic Majority proceeds, I will continue to enthusiastically support the efforts of shelters across Virginia and the nation in offering a safe haven for victims of domestic violence."