‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌John:
For the eleventh time this year, I stood on the Senate floor to call for a vote on the Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act.
This legislation, which would reform the military justice system and deliver justice to survivors of sexual assault, enjoys broad, bipartisan support. We have 66 co-sponsors—a filibuster-proof majority—ranging from Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst.
Yet, for the eleventh time this year, we were denied a vote.
Today, I would like to talk to you about this once-in-a-generation reform, and why it is being held up behind closed doors.
Members of our Armed Forces are more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone wearing the same uniform than they are to be shot by the enemy.
For ten years, every general or commander has assured me, "We’ve got this, ma’am, we’ve got this." But every year, the statistics and the stories of sexual assault in the military get worse. The number of sexual assaults rhas reached historic highs, while the percentage of cases going to trial and ending up in conviction has gone down.
As survivors of sexual assault tell us over and over, the reason they don’t report is that they fear retaliation and they don’t trust the chain of command to bring the assailants to justice. In the current system, the commanding officer has the sole decision-making authority over whether a case goes to trial.
The Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act would change that—putting independent military prosecutors, rather than commanders, in charge of sexual assault cases and other serious crimes , giving survivors a chance to speak freely with real protection from retribution. It would, importantly, leave uniquely military crimes, like going AWOL or fraudulent enlistment, within the chain of command.
I have fought to enact this change since 2013. And this year—for the first time—a filibuster-proof majority of senators have signed on as co-sponsors of this legislation.
That includes a number of co-sponsors who previously opposed the legislation, but who have been moved to act by the military’s failure to address the problem.
So, why can’t we get a vote? The Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, a Democrat, and the Ranking Member, a Republican, are blocking the bill from reaching the floor for a vote.
They would prefer to include the legislation as part of a debate over the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), where these critical reforms could easily be watered down or gutted altogether.
I think my colleague and co-sponsor Sen. Joni Ernst put it best:
“If a foreign power were to attack any of our service men and women overseas, there would be a stampede of senators coming to the floor and demanding action. Now I hear only the footsteps of those coming to stop us from consideration of something that would help prevent attacks on our service men and women by one of their own.”
This is our final hurdle. If this bill receives a full vote on the floor of the Senate, it will pass. I need your help to make this happen.
Please. Call your member of Congress and ask them to stand with survivors and build a military justice system worthy of the sacrifice our men and women in the military make.
I first began calling for a floor vote on this bill on May 24—26 days ago. Since then, an estimated 1,400 service members will have been sexually assaulted. And an estimated two-thirds of them will not report the crime, because they do not trust the chain of command.
We are failing our service members. This cannot wait.
Thank you for using your voice.
-Kirsten
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