By a vote of 166-257, the GOP version of the Violence Against Women Act failed to win a majority after almost 90 minutes of debate. The House then voted 286-138 to pass the Senate version, with 87 Republicans joining all 199 Democrats to provide majority support.Have you ever heard Rep. Gwen Moore speak? If you are able to hear/view video, I encourage you to just go look at any video of her on YouTube. Because she pretty much rules.
...The Republican proposal deleted provisions from the Senate measure giving tribal authorities jurisdiction to prosecute cases on Indian reservations, specifically against discrimination of LGBT victims, and allowing undocumented immigrant survivors of domestic violence to seek legal status.
...House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and others repeatedly questioned why Republicans would seek to weaken a measure that received strong bipartisan support in the Senate.
A majority of Senate Republicans backed the act, along with every woman senator regardless of party, Pelosi noted.
"It's really hard to explain why, what eyes the Republicans are looking through, that they do not see the folly of their ways in the legislation they are proposing," Pelosi said.
Democratic Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, herself a rape victim, paraphrased the question of rights activist Sojourner Truth, a 19th century escaped slave and civil rights advocate.
"Ain't they women?" Moore shouted in reference to native American, undocumented immigrant and LGBT women.
Anyway. Yay.
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