Gillibrand issues statement on bipartisan Senate deal to combat sexual harassment in congress, end taxpayer-funded settlements
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today released the following statement after Senate leadership reached a bipartisan deal to address the problem of sexual harassment and discrimination in Congress:
Today’s announcement of a bipartisan deal in the Senate that would finally end a system designed to protect harassers in the halls of Congress is an important step forward.
By passing this reform, we can finally make sure that when a member of Congress sexually harasses or discriminates against someone on their staff, the taxpayers are not left holding the bag, and it finally removes the barriers that were preventing many victims of harassment and discrimination from reporting what had happened to them, like the absurd “cooling off period” before a formal complaint could even be filed.
I am grateful to my colleagues, including the Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Klobuchar, Senator Murray and Senator Blunt, for their leadership and their efforts to move this bill forward. But we must remain focused on finishing this fight by passing this bill in the Senate and the House, to hold members of Congress accountable once and for all and to make sure taxpayers are never again left footing the bill for a politician’s sexual harassment scandal.