GOP Obstructionism Is Holding Up Funds to Catch Rapists

[Judi Lynn]

GOP Obstructionism Is Holding Up Funds to Catch Rapists

A spending bill blocked in the Senate would allot $41 million to help cities and states catch sexual predators.

—By Erika Eichelberger
| Fri Aug. 8, 2014 9:44 AM EDT



For weeks, Republicans in the Senate have held up an $180 billion spending bill that would direct money to several federal agencies, from the Justice Department to the Department of Transportation. Funding for all kinds of measures—from rent subsidies for the poor, to a new NASA rocket, to transportation projects—has been left in limbo. But one specific provision that's being held up has victims' advocates particularly worried: a $41 million grant to help states and localities go after rapists by funding jurisdictions to process backlogs of rape kits, the samplings of biological evidence that are taken after a sexual assault and used to identify attackers.

The kits, which contain semen, blood, saliva, hair, and other DNA evidence from rape victims, can be held in storage for decades, allowing rapists to roam free. Experts estimate that there are over 100,000 untested kits sitting on shelves at scores of police departments and crime lab storage facilities around the country, partly because states and localities lack the money needed to process them.

Kym Worthy, the county prosecutor in Wayne County, Michigan, has pushed hard to get through Detroit's backlog, but has run up against funding shortages. She plans to apply for a chunk of the $41 million grant as soon as it's approved. "I'd like it to happen tomorrow," she says. "Every day that goes by is other day that the victims have to wait for justice. This is first grant of it's kind where they really got what it takes."

But since June, the money has been stalled because Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), want Democrats to allow them to add several unrelated amendments to the huge appropriations bill. One of those amendments, sponsored by McConnell, would make it harder for the EPA to enact new rules on coal-fired power plants. (His home state of Kentucky has a big coal industry). Another amendment—a longtime favorite of Sen. David Vitter (R-La.)—would strip Obamacare subsidies from congressional staffers. Republicans don't have any intention of passing the main spending bill, argues a Senate Democratic leadership staffer; they're just using the amendments process to stall it. "Demanding amendment votes is meant to distract from [Republicans'] disagreement over popular bills," the staffer says. "Regardless of the outcome of the amendment votes…Republicans have indicated that they are not willing to support the underlying bill." McConnell's office did not respond to requests for comment, but the minority leader has previously accused Democrats of "shutting out" Republican amendments, and other Senate Republicans have accused red state Dems of not wanting to vote on controversial amendments in an election year.

More:
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/rape-kit-backlog-senate-republican-spending-bill

[Travis_0004]

1. This is a stupid article

The funding to get caught up on rape test kits is needed and a worthy cause, but it amounts to far less than 1% of the spending bill. They may be holding up passing the bill for dumb reasons, and we could attack those reasons, but the rape kit funding is a dumb reason to attack not passing the bill.

If the republicans created a spending bill we all hated and it included 41 million for rape kit testing and Democrats refused to pass the bill, we would not be critizing the Democrats.

Perhaps a better solution is to vote on just the money for rape kit testing as its own law. It would probably pass both houses by voice vote in a day and Obama could sign it into law the next day.

[Thor_MN]

2. Valid points, but Republics would say that Democrats are in favor of rapists in the reverse case...

I do like your solution to separating out the funding for testing.

[littlemissmartypants]

3. They are obstructionists and all of it is

Murder by inches. One here, one there until we are too sick, weak, poor or dead to fight back. I am sick of them and every word written like this article is hate porn and they love it. Trashcan. No offense. But I am revving my engine for Elections of Democrats and them as history. That's where my energy is going.

Love, Peace and the Righteous Fight. Lmsp