Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) killed the decades-old Violence Against Women Act yesterday when — like the Hurricane Sandy victims aid bill — they refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Yesterday was the last day of the 112th Congress, so any bills not passed will have to start from scratch. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), created in 1994, has always been renewed in a no-muss, no-fuss bipartisan manner — until now. The U.S. Senate expanded the bill last spring to include protections for immigrants, lesbian and trans women, and Native Americas, so Republicans balked, refusing for months to vote on the bill. Now, state and local governments will see resources to protect women disappear, literally overnight...Eric Cantor is seen by some as the major road block of the bill, especially opposed to the Native Americans protections.
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