Cornyn: Dems trying to 'score cheap political points' with Violence Against Women Act

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) accused Democrats of trying to "score cheap political points" with the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

In an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle, Cornyn wrote that some members of the Senate are turning the reauthorization of the legislation, S. 1925, into "partisan football" and trying to use it to raise campaign funds. 

The Senate plans to take up the bill right after it finishes work on a bill to reform the United States Postal Service. Democrats are hoping to take advantage of the reauthorization to hammer Republicans on women's issues and paint Senate Republicans as waging a "war on women."

Republicans are likely to vote against Democrats' reauthorization measure because of provisions included in it that extend special visas for illegal immigrants who are victims of abuse. It also extends protections to same-sex marriages.

"This is shameful. The law was enacted to protect and serve the interests of crime victims, not to help a political party fire up its base," Cornyn wrote in the op-ed. "Moreover, to argue that a minor policy disagreement indicates a lack of sensitivity toward battered women is simply beyond the pale."

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) are working on an alternative version of the bill that would appeal to Republicans. Hutchison and Grassley maintain that their version addresses some flaws in the Democratic version, such as how it would affect government spending, in addition to the parts on immigration.

"The overwhelming majority of Republicans believe it should be reauthorized, and I have cosponsored legislation to do just that," Cornyn wrote. "Our bill contains some commonsense proposals that would bolster VAWA and also remove a series of controversial provisions from the Democratic alternative."

But Cornyn said Democrats' opposition to the GOP version makes it unlikely to become law. So Cornyn is proposing an amendment to the Democrats' bill that would increase funding for rape kits, add to penalties for domestic violence and sexual abuse and aid law enforcement in capturing sex offenders.

"The Justice for Victims Amendment would go a long way toward alleviating the rape-kit backlog, giving victims the justice they deserve and keeping dangerous criminals off the streets. It would not add to the federal budget deficit, but it would add to the tools that law enforcement can use to protect ordinary citizens," Cornyn wrote.

Cornyn wrote that there won't be any kind of compromise on improving the VAWA until Democrats stop seeking to use the legislation to gain a political advantage.

"Congress has an opportunity to make VAWA stronger and more effective. But we won't be able to produce a genuine bipartisan agreement until Democrats stop exploiting the issue for political gain. The American people deserve results, not reckless demagoguery."