Violence Prevention

Q69: Do you support the Reauthorization and full funding of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA)?

Biden: Yes. One of the driving forces throughout my career has been fighting back against abuses of power – whether economic or physical power. That force motivated me to write and champion the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, establish the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women during the Obama-Biden Administration, and launch a national campaign to change the culture surrounding campus rape and sexual assault. I will make enacting the VAWA reauthorization one of my top first 100 day priorities. I have also put forward a comprehensive plan to build on VAWA, available HERE.

Bloomberg: Yes. Mike supports reauthorizing VAWA, on the model of the House-passed H.R. 1585

Buttigeig: Yes. I will reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act providing federal resources for addressing and preventing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking, and for supporting survivors of those crimes. We will also ensure that future VAWA reauthorizations cannot be held up for political reasons by implementing automatic reauthorization with a five-year review for necessary updates.

De La Fuente: Yes. No person should be violated.

Klobuchar: Yes. Senator Klobuchar is a co-sponsor in the Senate of the Violence Against Women Act, which includes her bill to close the boyfriend loophole by preventing people who have abused dating partners from buying or owning firearms.

Sanders: Yes. We will not go back to the days when survivors of domestic violence had no access to services or recourse against their abusers, because domestic violence was swept under the rug, as a shameful, private issue. As President, Bernie is committed to reauthorizing and expanding services provided through the Violence Against Women Act.

Steyer: Yes. VAWA must be renewed as it provides key protections for victims of domestic crimes by providing access to policing, crisis centers, shelters, housing, legal aid, hotlines and counseling, education programs and support groups. VAWA ensures that access to these resources is not based upon sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or transgender status.

Warren: Yes. As president, I will fight to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, close the dangerous “boyfriend loophole”, and increase budgets for shelters for women and victims of abuse. I support limiting qualified immunity for law enforcement officials who are found to have violated the Constitution, and allowing victims to sue police departments directly for negligently hiring officers despite prior misconduct. As president, I would establish an advisory board comprised of survivors of violence, along with formerly incarcerated individuals. I will consult with this advisory board and listen to the needs of those who have first-hand experience with the system as we find fair and just solutions to the challenges we face. We also cannot fully address intimate partner violence without confronting the ways intimate partner violence affects women of color and the LGBTQ+ community, and in particular transgender people. Women of color and the LGBTQ+ community experience sexual violence at higher rates. Yet only a small percentage of funds authorized by the Violence Against Women Act to provide services to survivors of sexual and domestic violence are directed towards organizations dedicated to meeting the unique needs of LGBTQ+ survivors. That’s why I will create a new grant program within the Office of Violence Against Women that will specifically channel resources into organizations by and for transgender people, especially people of color. I will also reverse Ben Carson’s outrageous proposal to allow homeless shelters to discriminate against transgender women – so if a trans women of color survivor loses her home because of intimate-partner violence, she doesn’t face widespread discrimination from homeless shelters. Finally, I will launch an unprecedented initiative to address the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women which includes a full Oliphant fix, fully funds the public safety and justice needs of Tribal communities so that Tribal authorities have the resources they need, and significantly increases funding for survivor and family services at every level to help those affected navigate the criminal justice system and cope with immeasurable loss.