"Battered Indian women are being used as pawns in a shameful political game being played by some Republicans in Congress.

Sadly, Wyoming’s U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso joined 20 of their male GOP colleagues who are apparently more than willing to sacrifice the safety of women everywhere by voting against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which had received strong bipartisan support for nearly two decades.

Like nearly all of the men who voted against the bill, Barrasso claims he really loves the VAWA and would vote for it, if only it didn’t contain a “controversial and unconstitutional provision that allows Indian tribes to arrest, prosecute, and imprison non-Indians.”

It is a controversial bill, but only because Republicans like Barrasso and Enzi have widely distorted the impact of what it actually does."

Get the Story:
Kerry Drake: Wyoming’s senators choose politics over protecting women (WyoFile 2/26)

Committee Notice:
S. 47—Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (February 26, 2013)

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