Arkansas's congressional delegation was nowhere to be found among the 87 House Republicans who joined 199 Democrats today to pass the Senate's bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. The measures reauthorizes a 1994 law that provides support for organizations that serve domestic and sexual violence victims.
Reps. Rick Crawford, Tim Griffin and Steve Womack each refused to support the bipartisan legislation. Instead, they voted in favor of an amendment to the bill that would remove specific protections for gay, bisexual or transgender victims and strip protections of Native American women living on reservations.
Rep. Tom Cotton doesn't want anything to do with protecting abused women. He voted against the bipartisan legislation AND the Republican amendment.
Griffin has issued a disingenuous statement trumpeting his support of the House version of VAWA. He said the Senate version was unacceptable because "it fails to guarantee the Constitutional rights of U.S. citizens on tribal lands."
The Washington Post reports that was a sticking point for a number of Republicans, which led to a new version, drafted in part by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, which stripped protections for LGBT women.
Sen. John "Dr. No" Boozman voted against the Senate bill earlier this month.