FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: lauren@scdp.org, 803-832-0819
DUNCAN, MACE, NORMAN, TIMMONS and RICE VOTE AGAINST WOMEN. WILSON A NO-SHOW.
Columbia, S.C.— Five Republican members of Congress from South Carolina refused to vote in favor of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) which passed the US House with bipartisan support earlier this week. This should not be a Democratic or Republican issue, but about standing up against the abuse of power and preventing violence against women.
Reps. Jeff Duncan, Nancy Mace, Ralph Norman, William Timmons, and Tom Rice all voted against the legislation which passed 244 -172. 29 Republicans broke ranks with their party and joined the Democrats in support of the bill. Joe Wilson, (SC-02) didn’t vote.
The bill, which was up for reauthorization, was first enacted in 1994, expired in 2018 and had not been reauthorized by Congress. Now headed to the U.S. Senate, VAWA authorizes funding for a variety of critical grant programs, including those for victim services, prevention, training, education, enforcement, economic stability, as well as other programs that support survivors and help them to heal and to access justice.
“With what has just happened in Atlanta, and the fact that we know domestic violence is one of the number one causes of death of women around the world, it is utterly appalling, yet, expected, that members of the South Carolina GOP refused to join other Republicans to say resoundingly that the lives of women and girls matter,” says Lauren Brown, SCDP Spokesperson.
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