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Letter to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, the Hon. Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader, the Hon. Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader, and the Hon. Charles Schumer, House Minority Leader - Davis Leads 114 Members in Support of Domestic Violence Shelters

Letter

By: Rodney Davis, Ann Kirkpatrick, Jim Costa, Brad Sherman, Nanette Barragán, Rosa DeLauro, Gus Bilirakis, Lucy McBath, Tom O'Halleran, Ami Bera, Tony Cárdenas, Gil Cisneros, Jason Crow, Darren Soto, Mario Diaz-Balart, Bobby Rush, Mike Bost, Garret Graves, Stephen Lynch, Fred Upton, David Price, Donald Young, Ruben Gallego, Anna Eshoo, Grace Napolitano, Mike Levin, Jahana Hayes, Ted Deutch, Dave Loebsack, Brad Schneider, Susan Brooks, Joe Kennedy III, David Trone, Lacy Clay, Jr., Tom Malinowski, Nydia Velázquez, John Katko, Tim Ryan, Earl Blumenauer, Conor Lamb, Jim Cooper, Will Hurd, Don Beyer, Jr., Jaime Herrera Beutler, Terri Sewell, Jared Huffman, Zoe Lofgren, Jimmy Gomez, Joe Neguse, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Cindy Axne, Bill Foster, André Carson, Seth Moulton, Jamie Raskin, Ann Wagner, Xochitl Torres Small, Adriano Espaillat, Joe Morelle, Dave Joyce, Peter DeFazio, Mike Doyle, Jr., Lizzie Fletcher, Henry Cuellar, Jennifer Wexton, Derek Kilmer, Raul Grijalva, Ro Khanna, Pete Aguilar, Alan Lowenthal, Jim Himes, Alcee Hastings, Sr., David Scott, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Jackie Walorski, Lori Trahan, Anthony Brown, Peter Stauber, Joshua Gottheimer, Gregory Meeks, Anthony Brindisi, Troy Balderson, Suzanne Bonamici, Chrissy Houlahan, Jim Langevin, Pete Olson, Abigail Spanberger, Rick Larsen, Chuy Garcia, Cheri Bustos, Jim McGovern, Bill Keating, Rashida Tlaib, Chris Pappas, Thomas Suozzi, Eliot Engel, Marcia Fudge, Anthony Gonzalez, Brendan Boyle, David Cicilline, Vicente Gonzalez, John Carter, Peter Welch, David McKinley, Dina Titus, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bill Johnson, Steve Stivers, Brian Fitzpatrick, Jenniffer González-Colón, Michael McCaul, Eddie Johnson, Gerry Connolly, Adam Smith
Date: April 9, 2020
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Women Health and Health Care

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader McConnell, Republican Leader McCarthy and Minority Leader Schumer,

As you know, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) plays a vital role in supporting programs that help protect individuals throughout the United States from crime and domestic abuse. In light of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the number of persons forced to shelter in place or quarantine with abusive partners or spouses continues to rise. It is now more imperative than ever that we work together on a bipartisan basis to ensure that this pandemic does not lend to increased instances of domestic violence or abuse that go unaddressed or unpunished.

Over a year ago on April 4, 2019, the House passed H.R.1585 the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 with broad bipartisan support in an effort to reinstate the program which lapsed on February 19, 2019. To this day, VAWA remains unauthorized. While there is still funding available for these important programs housed under the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), leaving some of the most vulnerable members of our society open to abuse is unacceptable, particularly in the midst of a global health pandemic.

As you work to build upon legislation like H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, given the new realities and dangers that at-risk persons face due to shelter in place and stay home orders, it is imperative that you include the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in any next piece of legislation to move through Congress. We urge you to you include additional language granting flexibilities to these programs, and grantees, as they navigate the new realties and challenges posed by Coronavirus.

Further, it is critical that additional funding be provided immediately for facilities and programs that assist victims of domestic violence to safely shelter in place. Those at risk for abuse should not have to choose between exposure to COVID-19 or their physical and mental safety and wellbeing.

We look forward to working with you and urge you to consider those most vulnerable as you work toward solutions to strengthen our families and communities.


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