Last month, House Republicans chose to play politics with victims of domestic violence and pass a weakened, GOP version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that limits protections for certain classes of individuals instead of a bipartisan, Senate-passed version.  And the drumbeat hasn’t stopped for Speaker John Boehner and his colleagues to put the safety and security of American women first.

Yesterday, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy and Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski sent a letter to the Speaker asking him to support all American women and bring the Senate VAWA to the House floor:

Saving the lives of victims of domestic violence should be above politics.  Yet politics seem to have gotten in the way of House passage of the bipartisan Senate Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act…We cannot afford to let another day go by.  We urge you to swiftly allow for an up-or-down vote in the House on the Senate’s bipartisan VAWA Reauthorization Act.

The response from Speaker Boehner?  Absolutely not.

Talking Points Memo – Boehner Shoots Down Bipartisan Call To Vote On Senate’s Domestic Violence Bill

… As far as Boehner is concerned, the bipartisan letter Tuesday changes nothing.

VAWA Reauthorizations have a tradition of being bipartisan and ensuring all victims of domestic and sexual violence are protected.  While Speaker Boehner claims this goal, his actions tell women across the country a completely different story.