Joni Ernst says she'll continue working with Democratic colleagues on Violence Against Women Act reauthorization

Brianne Pfannenstiel
The Des Moines Register

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is among those pushing for a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which has become caught in a political back-and-forth that threatens to derail it.

“The Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA as we call it, is a law that provides desperately needed resources to tackle domestic and sexual abuse in communities across the country,” Ernst said on a call with reporters Thursday. “It has made a real difference in the lives of so many families across our nation.”

Ernst, a Republican, said she and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) had tried to find a version of the bill that could gain bipartisan support but, now, negotiations have broken down. 

Republican Senator Joni Ernst speaks at the Iowa GOP's Lincoln-Reagan Dinner at the Downtown Marriott on Friday, Nov. 8, 2019 in Des Moines. The special guest of the night was U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham.

Democrats in the House passed a version of the bill that Ernst said would not gain approval in the Republican-led Senate. And this week she introduced her own version of the legislation.

“At the end of the day, if we don’t get a bill that can realistically pass the House, pass the Senate and be signed into law, then all we have is a bill,” she said. “And no survivors are helped by just bills alone. We need real results.”

Democrats and gun control groups have accused Republicans of caving to the National Rifle Association, which has opposed a provision in the House bill that would close the so-called “boyfriend loophole.”

Currently, convicted abusers can be denied access to firearms only if they are or have been married to their victim, live with their victim, have a child with their victim or are the legal guardian of their victim. It does not extend those prohibitions when the abuser is dating or in an intimate relationship with the victim.

According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun safety group, domestic violence victims are five times more likely to be killed by their abuser if the abuser has access to a gun.

Ernst said there is a way to close that loophole that would not be overly broad or remove due process rights for the accused which would gain Republican backing. She said she hopes to continue working with Feinstein, although Ernst also accused Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, of New York, of putting politics over the needs of victims.

“To be honest, I think she has been a wonderful colleague to work with, and I really appreciate her efforts on this,” Ernst said. “So I think, you know, left up to Dianne and I, we could find a path forward. But there are other forces at work out there as well.”

Ernst said this issue is especially important to her as a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Ernst’s divorce to ex-husband Gail Ernst was finalized earlier this year, and in court records the senator alleged mental and physical abuse in the marriage. He has denied those allegations. Ernst also disclosed in an interview that she was raped in college, and she has spoken about both incidents publicly.

“When I went through my own extremely difficult situations at various points in my life, I was grateful for the resources that were available to me — whether that was a crisis line I could call or support from victims’ advocates,” Ernst said Thursday. “Going through these situations is already extremely trying for anyone. But having that lifeline of support was so important to me, and it helped me find my way through dark and difficult times.”

Ernst said she remains optimistic that she can work with Feinstein to reach a compromise.

“We’re going to try to do supper here very soon and talk through this,” she said. “So Chuck Schumer, take that. We’re going to keep working on it.”

Ernst in 2014 became the first woman elected to represent Iowa in Congress. She is up for re-election in 2020.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.