| 00:00:00 | ACT HAS NEVER DISCRIMINATED AGAINST PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF WHO THEY ARE, WHERE THEY LIVE, HOW MUCH MONEY THEY HAVE, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THOSE REMARKS, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY AT THE CORE HERE OF WHAT SOME OF THIS DEBATE IS ABOUT. |
| 00:00:12 | BUT OVERALL, I STILL BELIEVE WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE A UMIN OF COLLEAGUES FROM ACROSS -- WHEN WE ALREADY HAVE A NUMBER OF COLLEAGUES FROM ACROSS THE AISLE ON THIS BILL, THAT WE WILL GET THIS DONE. |
| 00:00:23 | THAT'S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT WHEN THE WORK WITH THE WORK OF SENATOR REID AND WITH SENATOR CRAPO, THE LEAD REPUBLICAN ON THIS BILL, SENATOR MIKULSKI, SENATOR MURKOWSKI, WHO JOININGED US THE LAST TIME WE HAD THE GROUP OF WOMEN SENATORS AND WHO'S BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY ON THAT LATE IN THE EVENING, I AM VERY POSITIVE THAT WE'RE GOING TO GET THIS DONE AND GET THIS VOTE DONE. |
| 00:00:48 | I SEE THAT WE HAVE BEEN JOINED HERE BY THE SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON, SENATOR CANTWELL, AND SHE HAS LONG BEEN A LEADER ON WOMEN'S ISSUES AND HAS FOUGHT FOR THIS BUILD AND HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF CONGRESS IN THE PAST WHEN IT'S BEEN REAUTHORIZED. |
| 00:01:04 | SO SHE KNOWS VERY WELL THAT IN THE PAST THIS HAS NOT BEEN A PARTISAN BILL, THAT PEOPLE HAVE COME TOGETHER, THEY HAVE A WORKED OUT -- THEY'VE WORKED OUT WHATEVER DIFFERENCES THEY HAVE AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PASS THIS IMPORTANT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT. |
| 00:01:19 | AND SO I KNOW THAT SENATOR CANTWELL HAS JOINED US AND, PLEASE, SENATOR CANTWELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. |
| 00:01:28 | MS. |
| 00:01:29 | CANTWELL: THANK YOU. I THANK THE SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA FOR HER LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE AND FOR HER GREAT SERVICE ON |
Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I thank very much the Senator from California for those moving remarks and for the very important point that the Violence Against Women Act has never discriminated against people, regardless of who they are, where they live, or how much money they have. I appreciate those remarks, and I think it is at the core of what some of this debate is about.
Overall, I still believe when we are ready to have a number of colleagues from across the aisle on this bill, we will get this done. That is why it is so important that with the work of Senator Reid and Senator Leahy, the chairman of our Judiciary Committee, and Senator Crapo, who is the leading Republican on this bill, and Senator Mikulski, who came and spoke earlier, as well as Senator Murkowski, who joined us the last time we had the group of women Senators--and we have been working diligently on it late into the evening--I am very positive we are going to get this done and get this vote done.
I see we have been joined by the Senator from Washington, Ms. Cantwell, who has long been a leader on women's issues and has fought for this bill and has been a Member of Congress in the past when it has been reauthorized. So she knows very well that in the past this has not been a partisan bill; that people have come together and worked out whatever differences they have had, and they have been able to pass this important Violence Against Women Act.
So I thank her for being here, and I yield to Senator Cantwell.