The Violence Against Women Act traditionally gets reauthorized easily and provides programming and funding for domestic violence victims and survivors, and for rape crisis centers and hotlines.
This year, with an election looming, critics say the Act is being used as a campaign tool. The Senate passed a version earlier this year that includes provisions that would extend protections for immigrant women and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender communities but in the House, Republicans expressed opposition to those provisions.
Congress is about to go into recess but in this interview with WBAI's Rebecca Myles, Terry O'Neill, President of the National Organization for Women, says they are increasing pressure on the House Speaker John Boehner to pass the Act, and she thinks it is having an effect.
