Senate Democrats, including Michael Bennet, are blocking a bill that would fight sex trafficking. They’re playing politics and hurting Americans. The Washington Post has the story:
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, authored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), has been stalled after Democrats accused Republicans of sneaking anti-abortion language into the bill. McConnell noted that Democrats on the Judiciary Committee unanimously agreed on the bill before forwarding it.
"They all voted for the very same language in a bill in December," he said.
Democrats’ intransigence is frustrating and unnecessary. Listen to a new robo-call that asks why Michael Bennet is against this bill.
[youtube url="https://youtu.be/nGormvJFBBQ"]
I’m calling from the NRSC with an urgent message about Senator Michael Bennet. Senator Bennet is filibustering bipartisan legislation to combat human sex trafficking. The Denver Post recently reported that Colorado Is A "Breeding Ground" For Human Trafficking so one would think Senator Bennet would be leading the charge to get this bill passed, instead of blocking it. Call Senator Bennet today at 303-455-7600 and tell him to stop playing political games with women and children who have been victimized by human traffickers. This call was paid for by the NRSC and was not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. 202-675-6000.”
Senate Democrats are blocking an important bill, a bill that would protect women and children.
UPDATE: While Democrats have insisted that anti-abortion language in the bill was a surprise, it appears that’s not the case. The AP’s David Espo and Erica Werner report that a Senate Democrat’s aide knew about this language for weeks:
Senate Democrats blocked debate on stalled human trafficking legislation for a second day Wednesday as a Democratic senator’s office belatedly conceded that a staff aide knew weeks ago that the measure included a controversial abortion-related provision.
This is politics at its worst.