Democratic Women's Working Group Budget - Hon. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

DEMOCRATIC WOMEN'S WORKING GROUP BUDGET -- HON. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (Extensions of Remarks - April 06, 2006)

* Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, violence against women is on the rise in this country. Sadly, young women have increasingly become victims of violence and domestic abuse in episodes on college campuses and in communities across America.

* One-third of teens report some form of abuse in their romantic relationships.

* Forty percent of teenage girls report knowing a peer who has been hit by a boyfriend.

* These are our daughters, our sisters, our friends and our neighbors.

* The idea that our society is still struggling to cope with such violence is simply unacceptable. We must do more.

* Yet the Republican majority's budget resolution mirrors the President's budget suggestion to cut funding for Violence Against Women Programs by $19.5 million dollars--cutting the very programs that prevent domestic violence and aid survivors.

* These programs are our first line of defense for battered women across the country--and too often, sadly--our last line of defense.

* It is time to get our fiscal house and priorities in order. We must carefully consider the message we send to domestic violence survivors by cutting funding intended as a lifeline in their most vulnerable hour.

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