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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday that he would hold House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to his word that the House will take up the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization.

“I say to Leader Cantor, it’s time for Republican leaders to stop talking about how much they care about women and show that they care about women,” Reid said on the floor Thursday. “I won’t be the only one holding him to his promise to swiftly reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. One hundred sixty million American women are also watching and waiting to see if he turns words into action."

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said President Obama is shutting out the American people by holding “secret” meetings with special interest groups on immigration reform.

“Once again, our leaders are meeting in secret with narrow special interests to decide the fate of our immigration system while everyday working Americans are shut out,” Sessions said Tuesday.

Four Senate Democrats called on their colleagues Tuesday to help them seek due process and human rights guarantees during debate on immigration reform.

Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) sent a letter to members of their chamber Tuesday saying the immigration legislation the Senate will likely consider during the 113th Congress should reflect American values by addressing human rights and ensure due process.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduced a bill Monday that would require colleges and universities to have anti-harassment policies.

“The tragic impact of bullying on college campuses has damaged too many young adults, and it is time for our colleges to put policies on the books that would protect students from harassment,” Lautenberg said Monday. “While there is no way to eliminate the cruelty that some students choose to inflict on their peers, there should be a clear code of conduct that prohibits harassment.”

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) requested Monday that the Department of Interior (DOI) release a timeline of when repairs will be made to the Statue of Liberty after it was damaged more than three months ago during Hurricane Sandy.

Schumer wants to know when the monument, located in New York, would reopen, because it is a major tourist destination for his state.

“The Statue of Liberty is still shuttered more than three months after Sandy struck the city and tourists, businesses and all New Yorkers need to know that the end is in sight," Schumer said Monday. "As an enduring symbol of our nation and our city, Lady Liberty cannot be allowed to languish any longer than necessary.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pledged Monday that he would do everything in his power to pass an immigration reform bill during this Congress.

“As Majority Leader I will do everything in my power to get a bill across the finish line,” Reid said on the Senate floor Monday.

Montana Sens. Jon Tester (D) and Max Baucus (D) called on Congress Friday to pass the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) immediately.

"Every day Congress waits puts another Montana woman at risk," Tester said Friday. "Women and children should have every opportunity to live in safety and lead full, healthy lives. This bill empowers our communities to protect all our citizens and holds offenders accountable."

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) accused the National Riffle Association of “extremism” on Thursday, in a call for “moderation and commonsense” on gun control.

“The advocacy organization called the National Riffle Association, is not the same NRA advocacy group that I grew up with that was about protecting hunters' rights,” Nelson said on the floor Thursday. “They are now protecting gun makers.”

A group of progressive senators urged U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday to temporarily hold the deportation of immigrants in same-sex relationships.

In a letter to Holder and Napolitano, the lawmakers requested that they put on hold immigration cases involving permanent-resident status and deportation orders regarding same-sex foreign-born spouses of LGBT couples until the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) later this year. 

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Wednesday that he would not filibuster gun legislation because he believes there should be an open debate about the Second Amendment and gun control.

“Some have asked whether I will try to block or filibuster this debate because of my support of the Second Amendment,” Coburn said in a statement after President Obama laid out proposals for reducing gun violence. “My goal is the opposite. I believe Congress has a responsibility to review all of our laws and make adjustments as necessary in a transparent, open and deliberative manner.”