That Washington

Poll: Despite Redistricting, Reichert's Constituents Still Lefty on Environment

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:00:00 -0700

Eighth District residents strongly support the national Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Despite the fact that redistricting turned US Congressman Dave Reichert's First Congressional District into a far more rural (and thus, presumably, safely Republican) seat, according to a new poll, the district's presumptive conservatism doesn't extend to the

environment. The implication for Reichert is that even with a more conservative voter base, he can't abandon his putative commitment to green legislation.

Reichert is widely seen as a pro-environment Republican, earning endorsements from groups like the League of Conservation Voters, because he frequently votes in favor of environmental legislation. However, that reputation wavered when Reichert was caught on tape saying he only voted with environmentalists to neutralize them at election time (not to mention when he voted for a house transportation bill that slashed transit, bike, and pedestrian funding). And he frequently votes for Republican amendments to water

down environmental legislation before ultimately voting for it to preserve his green reputation.

The poll, by national pollster Public Opinion Strategies, concludes that likely 2012 Eighth District voters "share a strong connection to public lands, natural areas and water in Washington and support policies that protect them." A strong majority went further, saying public lands are one of the best things the US government does. And more than two-thirds disagreed with the statement, “Washington has enough natural areas and public lands, and we do not need to do any more to protect them.”

One big caveat, though: The poll only asked about conservation of public lands, steering clear of other environmental issues (like climate change). Rugged outdoorsmanship sells much better among conservatives than, say, bike lanes or carbon caps. Still, Eighth District voters' overwhelming support for conservation is a sign that Reichert needs to at least pay lip service to the environment (and to ultimately bite the bullet and vote for environmental bills) if he wants to keep his constituents happy.

US House GOP Blocks Violence Against Women Act

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:00:00 -0700

House Republicans blocked the Violence Against Women Act yesterday, stalling bipartisan legislation that provides funding for domestic violence victims because they oppose expanding protections to Native American women, women in rural areas, women abused by same-sex partners; and some illegal immigrants (that last provision is aimed at protecting "child brides" brought to the US for sex slavery.)

In a floor speech yesterday, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) criticized House Republicans for blocking the bill, noting that VAWA passed the Senate with support from both Democrats and Republicans.

"Domestic violence protections for all women shouldn’t be a Democratic or a Republican issue," Murray said.

"One in three Native women will be raped in their lifetimes, 2 in 5 of them victims of domestic violence, and they are killed at 10 times the rate of the national average.

“And these shocking statistics aren’t isolated to one group of women– 25-35% of women in the LGBT community experience domestic violence in relationships, and 3 in 4 abused immigrant women never entered the process to obtain legal status -- even though they were eligible -- because their abuser husbands never filed their paperwork.

“Where a person lives, their immigration status, or who they love should not determine whether or not perpetrators of domestic violence are brought to justice.

Murray made a similar point in a Q&A with PubliCola last week.

Friday PubliCola Q&A: Patty Murray

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:00:00 -0700

For the second installment of PubliCola's Friday Q&A, we interviewed US Sen. Patty Murray. (Last week, we sat down with state Sen. Steve Hobbs, the centrist candidate in the 1st Congressional District who we thought, unfortunately for Democrats, wasn't getting enough ink in the run-up to next month's primary.)

Murray, who co-chaired last year's supercommittee, which tried, and failed, to forge a bipartisan budget agreement, is taking center stage again this year as the ramifications of the failed negotiations known as "sequestration"—drastic automatic cuts to social services and defense and the end of the Bush tax cuts—are framing the Presidential election.

Murray, taking up President Obama's mantra that Congress should rescind the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy while extending the cuts for the middle class, helped pass Democratic legislation in the Senate this week that did exactly that. The bill is expected to stall in the House, and Murray made headlines by indicating Senate Democrats were willing to send the nation off a "fiscal cliff" by letting the automatic cuts go through and letting all of the Bush tax cuts expire.

Indeed, Murray has been on a tax-the-wealthy jag all year.

We caught up with Murray a day after the big bill passed.

PubliCola: All through the debt-ceiling negotiations, you've stated your commitment to reaching a deal with the Republicans. Last week, you shifted course, saying you and other Democrats would allow tax cuts for all Americans to expire if the Republicans won't raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans. What changed your position?

Patty Murray: My position hasn’t changed. I am absolutely committed to getting a bipartisan deal to extend middle class tax cuts, replace sequestration in a balanced way, and avoid the fiscal cliff. But I want to be very clear that Democrats are not going to agree to a deal that throws middle class families under the bus and doesn’t call on the wealthiest Americans to pay a penny more. So the ball is really in the Republicans’ court. I am willing to compromise and I’ve shown that, but it’s a two-way street and we are going to need a partner on the other side willing to do the same.

It is also very important to note that the Senate just passed a bill to extend tax cuts for 98 percent of workers and 97 percent of small business owners, and all that needs to happen to take a big step toward avoiding the fiscal cliff is for the House to pass these tax cuts too. We all agree the middle class should have their tax cuts extended, so the House shouldn’t keep playing politics with these tax cuts or hold them hostage to get more tax cuts for the rich.[pullquote]"I think we can all agree that where a person lives, their immigration status, or who they love should not determine whether or not perpetrators of domestic violence are brought to justice. It’s shameful that members of the House of Representatives are fighting us on this."[/pullquote]

PubliCola: How do you predict the budget endgame will play out? The Republicans didn’t blink on the budget last year; why do you think they'll blink now? And what happens when Congress has to start slashing the kind of safety-net programs you talked about so passionately at the YWCA earlier this month?

Murray: I am hopeful that we can get a balanced and bipartisan deal before the end of the year, but again, that will only be possible if Republicans are willing to compromise too. I don’t want sequestration to happen. I know how tough it would be for so many of the programs families depend on in our state. But the only way we can avoid it is with a balanced replacement that doesn’t call on the middle class and most vulnerable families to bear the burden alone.

PubliCola: Although attacks on women's health care have gotten a fair amount of attention at the federal level, the real battle right now seems to be at the state level, with state after state adopting new restrictions on access to abortion and contraceptive care and with at least five governors saying they'll opt out of Medicaid expansion (which disproportionately benefits women). Is there a federal solution to the state-level attacks on women's rights? What can Congress do to combat this troubling trend?

Murray: One of the most important things we can all do is make sure women across America understand what is happening and are clear about the threats to their health care choices. We’ve seen again and again in recent months the power of raising awareness, coming together, speaking with one voice, and standing up strong for women when they are under attack. We’ve had more success at the federal level than in some states, but we are going to keep fighting.

And I want to mention that while health care issues have rightly gotten a tremendous amount of attention, there are other attacks on women’s rights that we are fighting back against just as hard at the federal level. Right now Speaker Boehner is holding up passage of the Senate’s inclusive and bipartisan Violence Against Women Act because members of the House don’t want to extend that bill’s protections to the tribal, immigrant, and LGBT communities. I think we can all agree that where a person lives, their immigration status, or who they love should not determine whether or not perpetrators of domestic violence are brought to justice. It’s shameful that members of the House of Representatives are fighting us on this.

PubliCola: You came out with a statement condemning 1st Congressional District candidate Laura Ruderman's anti-Suzan DelBene ad, which looks to us like a statement of tacit support for the Democratic establishment's pick, DelBene. Who do you support in this race? And what's the best mechanism for getting rid of these kinds of anonymous IEs?

Murray: I have not made an endorsement in this race, but I am very concerned about some of the tactics being used involving outside groups. I think one of the most important things we could do as a country is pass the DISCLOSE Act to close the loopholes opened up by Citizens United and shine a bright light on the anonymous donations, mostly from corporations and special interest groups, that are swamping our airwaves and drawing out the voices of ordinary citizens.

[Editor's note: The DISCLOSE Act would require groups that make more than $10,000 in campaign contributions to disclose the identity of donors who contributed more than $10,000 to such groups. Citizens United was the case that allowed corporations and unions to contribute unlimited amounts of money to campaigns.]

PubliCola: During the last congressional election, global warming was the number one issue. Since then, despite all kinds of alarming reports about global climate change, the issue seems to have fallen off the radar at the national level. Is there anything in the works on the Democratic Party agenda to refocus national attention on carbon and climate change?

Murray: There is no question that Congress should act to address climate change and promote clean energy. This isn’t just an environmental issue, though—it’s also a jobs issue. We should be investing in clean energy jobs and making sure they are created in Washington state and across the country, rather than overseas. Unfortunately, Republicans don’t feel the same way and seem intent on blocking any path in Congress to tackle this in the serious way it deserves right now.

PubliCola: You've been a major advocate for Sound Transit. Lately, though, the agency has come under fire from environmentalists for failing to focus on transit-oriented development---proposing a huge new parking garage at Northgate, building rail directly on I-5 where development is impossible, and building a Mount Baker station that doesn't actually connect to Metro's Mt. Baker transit hub, to name just a few examples. How well do you think Sound Transit is doing at achieving its mission of promoting not just rail but smart growth, and how would you like to see them improve?

Murray: Sound Transit has taken major steps forward toward providing transportation options for commuters in the Puget Sound. We can always strive to do more to create transit oriented development, but I believe we are building a strong foundation with our investments in Sound Transit projects.

An Issue Where Burner Agrees with the GOP: Auditing the Fed

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:00:00 -0700

The state GOP has picked up on something from yesterday's 1st Congressional District candidate debate that I haven't seen in the press coverage.

When asked for an issue that she would cross party lines on, Darcy Burner cited a bill that GOP Rep. Ron Paul passed this week to audit the Federal Reserve. (A Democratic, former US Rep. Alan Grayson, had originally supported the bill as well.)

Listen:

Washington GOP Chair Kirby Wilbur quipped:

"With her assertion that we should audit the Fed, is she trying to broaden her base and attract some of the Ron Paul voters?"

Most of Washington State's Democratic reps., including US Reps. Jim McDermott, Norm Dicks, and Rick Larsen, voted against the measure. Rep. Adam Smith voted for it.

Burner told me today:

We have a problem, which is that the Federal Reserve is operating without transparency or accountability in ways that certainly appear to be counter to both interests of the American people and their mandate. They’re supposed to be concerned about full employment, and yet one of the Fed commissioners said they had decided they were going to ignore unemployment and they were going to focus exclusively on keeping inflation down.

They have been very actively pursuing policies that recapitalize the biggest banks at the expense of the American taxpayer and the American public. It seems at this point like they are acting in ways that are about making banks richer, not about doing what needs to be done for the economy as it affects most Americans. The bill calls for the same kinds of audits that every other department does, which every department is subject to, which provides some level of accountability and transparency in their operations.

All of Washington State's Republican reps, including Burner's former rival, US Rep. Dave Reichert (R-WA 8 ) voted for the bill. "Then he and I are in agreement on that," Burner said.

Calling Paul's bill "redundant," staff for McDermott tell PubliCola that McDermott voted against the legislation because he thought the 2010 Dodd-Frank finance reform bill had already added the type of transparency on the Fed that Rep. Paul was after. (McDermott had originally signed on to the bill). For example, regular audits of the Fed already appear online, and all Fed transactions—including who they're buying and selling with and what the interest rates and prices are—are already made public.

Moreover, "there were onerous provisions that would have prevented the Fed from doing its job," a McDermott spokesman says, noting a provision that would have made internal Fed staff discussions public.

McDermott is all for sunlight—and Fed meetings, decisions, and discussions are already made public—but eavesdropping on regular internal deliberations would, McDermott's spokesman said, "politicize and prevent candid discussions of data, putting the Fed under the political machinations and control of the legislature."

Taking on the Fed has its fans. I interviewed another Democratic iconoclast and Fed antagonist last year, outgoing US Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

At the time, Kucinich was seen as a potential candidate in the 1st because he was facing redistricting in Ohio that threatened to write him out of Congress. He stayed in Ohio, though. And ran. And lost.

Tweet of the Day: Cantwell on Dry Peas & Lentils

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:00:00 -0700

We have a joke here at Cola HQ about how boring US Sen. Maria Cantwell is.

Some past press releases we've gotten:

"Cantwell, Alaska Airlines to Tour Sea-Tac, View Impact of New
Precision Landing Technology"

"Cantwell Statement on First Cross-Border Trucking Permit Issued to Mexico"

"At Hearing, Cantwell Highlights Need for Medicare Payment Reform to Expand Access to Care, Build WA Primary Care Workforce"

When we teased her office about it once—I think after we got that one about precision technology— her press person shot back: "Haha! We try to keep it good n’ wonky. Wanna talk about the state sales tax deduction?"

But man, her press releases are nothing compared to her tweets.

We're giving Cantwell today's Cola "Tweet of the Day" for this gem.

"Cantwell meets Dry Pea & Lentil Council today about her plan to boost pulse crops in school meals, support WA growers"

Anti-DelBene Mailer Done by Firm with Ties to Ruderman

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:00:00 -0700

First Congressional District candidate Laura Ruderman's campaign tells PubliCola that they know nothing about the independent expenditure campaign that's being done against Suzan DelBene, one of Ruderman's rivals in the Democratic intramural race for Congress.

First District residents received an anti-DelBene mailer earlier this month. A Ruderman donor, Jeremy Pemble, registered the IE group, Progress for Washington, with the Federal Elections Commission.

IE groups are controversial in the post Citizens United world because they are now allowed to take unlimited corporate donations (that's always been the case in Washington State in state-level races, but not in federal races such as Ruderman's, until now).

Ruderman condemned the trend at a recent 1st District candidate debate.

But the more you look at Progress for Washington, the more connections there are to Ruderman.

FEC records show that the firm actually doing the $60,000 anti-DelBene mail campaign is Gumbiner & Davies. The principal at the firm (it's actually Gumbinner & Davies) is Jeff Gumbinner.

Gumbinner is a Ruderman contributor ($500).

More significantly, Gumbinner used to run a political firm called 360 JMG. JMG did $10,000 worth of consulting work for Ruderman's secretary of state run in 2004 and $100,000 worth of work for her state house run in 2002.

Earlier in his career, Gumbinner worked for a firm called Crouse Malchow & Schlackman, which did $30,000 worth of work for Ruderman during her 2000 state house race.

Coordination between IEs and campaigns is against FEC rules. Ruderman's campaign spokeswoman, Liz Berry, tells PubliCola: "We don't know anything about this effort."

The mailers challenge DelBene's campaign trail boasts about her success as a businesswoman.

WA State's Congressional GOP Delegation Votes to Repeal Obamacare

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:00:00 -0700

In a nearly straight partisan roll call, the US House voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act today 285-244, with all four of Washington's Republican reps—Doc Hastings, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Dave Reichert—voting to repeal it.[pullquote]McKenna has come out against full repeal, saying he supports much of the law. This puts him at odds with his own party's chair and his party's delegation in DC.[/pullquote]

Five Democrats joined the Republicans, none from Washington's delegation.

In fact, Seattle's own US Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA, 7) got some national attention for firing off a joke about the Republican vote, their 33rd such attempt to nuke Obamacare. Reuters reported:

The vote will mark at the 33rd time by the Republicans' latest count that the House has passed a bill to defund or repeal portions of the law or the entire Affordable Care Act, as the law is called.

Democratic Representative Jim McDermott mocked Republicans, declaring: "As a psychiatrist, I'm qualified to say this: One definition of insanity is doing the same than over and over again and expecting a different result."

The vote drew praise from Washington State Republican Party Chair Kirby Wilbur.

Wilbur said: "Today the House Republicans took the first step in the long process of repairing that damage, and we must continue down this path by working to elect more Republicans to Congress and Mitt Romney to the White House."

No word from Wilbur's new intra-party rival former Republican state Sen. Cheryl Pflug, but we are curious to hear what GOP gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna has to say. He has come out against repeal, saying he supports much of the law. This puts him at odds with his own party's chair and his party's delegation in DC.

We have a message into McKenna's campaign.

The Washington State Alliance of Retired Americans quickly issued a statement condemning the vote:

The U.S. House shamefully voted to take away Medicare benefits that are helping seniors here in Washington better afford to see a doctor and fill a prescription. Washington retirees are upset that this vote placed ideology and partisan politics over supporting working families and the basic needs of seniors across our state.

In our state, over 60,209 Medicare beneficiaries have already saved $35,999,334 on their prescriptions. Over 837,600 Washington State seniors have received free, life-saving tests for chronic diseases and 62,846 more young adults have gained health insurance through their parent’s plan, thanks to health reform.

Retirees worry about their children and grandchildren, and are happy that the law allows young adults under age 26 stay on their parents’ health insurance. Seniors are glad to see working families finally protected from the greed and outrageous business practices of the insurance companies.

Patty Murray vs. Ronald Reagan

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:00 -0700

Democrats (particularly Democrats over 35) who are tired of hearing Democratic President Obama praise Republican icon Ronald Reagan as a "transformative political leader," would have enjoyed US Sen. Patty Murray's (D-WA) speech at the YWCA in downtown Seattle on Friday for her take on just how she thought Reagan had transformed the country.

Murray blamed Reagan for the current intransigent Republicans who "have organized around the article of faith articulated by President Reagan and repeated by members of his party again and again since: that government is not the solution to our problem, government is our problem."[pullquote]Democrats (particularly Democrats over 35) who are tired of hearing Democratic President Obama praise Republican icon Ronald Reagan as a "transformative political leader," would have enjoyed US Sen. Patty Murray's (D-WA) speech at the YWCA in downtown Seattle on Friday.[/pullquote]

Murray, who was speaking at a packed noon forum of local social service agencies about the upcoming federal budget debate, had just finished talking about how food stamps, the VA, worker training programs, and student loans helped her struggling family when she was growing up in Bothell in the 1950s and 60s.

Her anecdote—about her her mom's heavy lift to raise her family while caring for her ill father, a WWII vet who had multiple sclerosis—framed Murray's budget battle preview: The Republicans, she said, citing last year's debt limit stalemate as evidence, want to balance the federal budget entirely with cuts to social programs rather than considering also using taxes on the wealthy being pitched by Democrats.

I don’t believe government can or should solve every problem—of course it shouldn’t. But I feel very strongly that we are a nation that’s come together time and again to stand with families like mine. To invest in our people, our communities, our future—to prevent people from falling through the cracks—and to make sure every child growing up today has the opportunities they deserve.

Unfortunately, the belief that our government can be a positive force for the middle class and the most vulnerable Americans is not shared by everyone in our nation’s capital.

These lawmakers don’t seem to believe that government should offer a helping hand to the middle class. They don’t seem to believe government should provide a robust safety net to catch the most vulnerable among us and help them get back on their feet. They don’t seem to believe government should focus on investing in our nation’s future by building roads and bridges, improving education—and spurring research and innovation.

Their primary focus seems to be: slashing programs, ending middle class supports—and above all else—cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations.

So despite the fact that poll after poll makes clear that the American people overwhelmingly support a balanced approach that includes revenue. And despite the fact that federal revenue is at the lowest level in 60 years—and the wealthiest Americans are paying the lowest rates in generations. My counterparts on the other side fought tooth and nail to protect the rich from paying a penny more in taxes—they held to that position all the way to the end—and that was what prevented us from getting a deal.

I believe we should close the tax loopholes for the oil and gas companies before we close off access to programs so many people here in Seattle and across our state depend on. We should cut off subsidies for private jets and yachts before we cut off the health care coverage for children and families. And we should finally put an end to the tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires that have blown holes in our budget year after year before we put an end to critical investments in education and worker training.

Last year's failure to reach a compromise was coupled with a default plan known as "sequestration," which calls for nearly half a billion dollars in cuts to both defense and social service programs in January 2013, a bitter pill that was supposed to motivate Republicans (who traditionally frown on military cuts) and Democrats (typecast as bleeding hearts who support social services) to come up with a better idea.

To stave off sequestration now, Congress is taking another pass at coming up with a budget deal; the House Republicans have already proposed forestalling the cuts to the Pentagon by cutting more from the social service side. And this morning, President Obama called for Bush's tax cuts for those making over $250,000 to expire.

For Murray's part, she's also framing the debate in D.C.

Late last month, she amended a US Sen. John McCain bill—which had called for an assessment of the impact of the $500 billion in DOD cuts—to similarly assess the impact that billions in social service cuts would have

Murray was praised by the NYT editorial page for amending McCain's bill:

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, who has been worked up about the Pentagon cuts, recently proposed legislation requiring a detailed accounting of which military programs would be affected, and the impact on national security. Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, proposed a countermeasure that would require an accounting of the entire sequester. The two measures were combined and passed by the Senate on Thursday as an amendment to the farm bill.

Ms. Murray’s amendment asks all the right questions of the White House budget office: What precise programs will be cut? How many jobs will be lost? What will be the effect on students of education cuts, as well as the impact of reductions on middle-class families, public safety and economic growth? (Mr. McCain asked similar questions about the defense cuts.) These matters were never discussed when the sequester was first imposed after the irresponsible threat by Republicans to send the government into default if spending wasn’t reduced.

Meanwhile, the Washington, DC based Coalition on Human Needs issued a report in April, which Murray cited during her speech at the Y, estimating the impact of the social service cuts, including: knocking 75,000 children off Head Start; ending meals on wheels for 17,000 seniors; laying off 16,000 teachers; and cutting off heat and air conditioning assistance for 734,000 households.

McMorris Rodgers: "War on Women" is "A Myth"

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 -0700

Washington State Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA, 5), who appeared on "Meet the Press" alongside Rachel Maddow yesterday, took the opportunity to charge Democrats with fabricating the "war on women."

Specifically, McMorris Rodgers argued that Republican efforts to kill the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (which she called "a bad bill") and to restrict women's access to abortion and contraception were not anti-woman, and that Democrats who highlight those issues are just trying to "distract" from "real" economic issues that affect everyone, including women.

Amazingly, McMorris Rodgers also argued---in response to Maddow's point that state legislatures have proposed more anti-abortion laws than at any time since Roe v. Wade---that Maddow was being selective and ignoring legislation "from the left." Her example? Washington State's failed Reproductive Parity Act, which would have required insurance companies that fund maternity care to also pay for abortions.

Mischaracterizing the proposal, McMorris Rodgers said, "In Washington State this year, there was legislation introduced, it passed the House, to require that abortions be included in every health care plan moving forward." McMorris Rodgers, of course, was one of just six US House members who signed a letter urging President Obama to oppose the state proposal---an unusual move, in that members of Congress typically don't involve themselves in state legislative battles.

"The war on women is really a myth that has been created by the Democrats in an effort to distract Americans from the real issues," McMorris Rodgers said. "Let's look at the policy. Let's look at the real issues that face all Americans, including women, and it is the economy."

Maddow responded: "The Mitt Romney campaign put you out as a surrogate to shore up people's feelings about this issue after they could not say whether or not Mitt Romney would have signed [the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act]. You're supposed to make us feel better about it. [But] you voted against the Fair Pay Act.

"It's not about whether you have a female surrogate. It's about policy and whether or not you want to fix some of the structural discrimination that women really do face, that Republicans don't believe is happening."

Additionally, Maddow noted that Republicans state legislatures across the nation are currently pushing ever-more-extreme restrictions on abortion, including the elimination of exemptions to abortion bans for women and girls who are pregnant as a result of rape or incest.

McMorris Rodgers' response: "When you highlight just a few of the bills, out of thousands of different bills that [are in play] at any time at the state legislative level, you're picking and choosing." Bills banning abortion for women who are victims of rape or incest, in other words, are basically no different than, say, this legislation, picked at random, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Walla Walla.

Watch the whole segment (which also includes a memorable exchange between Maddow and Republican consultant Alex Castellanos about pay disparities between men and women) here.

Murray, Tribal Leader Stump for Violence Against Women Act as Republicans Propose Watered-Down Alternative

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 -0700

As Republican US Senators proposed a watered-down version of the Violence Against Women Act, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) held a press conference in Washington, D.C. today featuring Tulalip Tribes vice-chairwoman Deborah Parker, a victim of sexual violence and an advocate for Native victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Republicans have opposed reauthorizing the bill, which passed uneventfully in 1994 with unanimous, bipartisan support, because it would expand protections to Native American women victimized by non-Natives, women rural areas, and some illegal immigrants; would increase the availability of free legal assistance to domestic violence victims; would create new protections against stalking; and would help train court personnel to help families with a history of violence. The new protections for illegal immigrants are aimed at protecting “child brides” brought to the US for sex slavery.

Parker, who said she was in D.C. on an unrelated environmental matter, tearfully recalled being molested as a toddler in the 1970s "by a man who had no boundaries or regards for a little child's life, my life"; an aunt who was raped by four or five men while she listened from the next room; and a woman on her reservation who was killed by a partner. None of the perpetrators, she said, were ever prosecuted.

Today, Parker said, "we still have no real protect for women on our reservations.

"My question for Congress was and has always been, why did you not protect me or my family? Why is my life and the life of so many other Native American women less important?"

US Attorneys, according to Murray's office, routinely decline to prosecute a majority of violent crimes on Native reservations, including sexual assaults.

Watch Parker's testimony here.