Washington, DC, May 6, 2020 – Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration releasing a Final Rule undermining Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The changes are widely expected to bolster the rights of those accused of sexual violence and to make schools less safe.
“The Administration’s Title IX rule is a dark day for survivors of sexual violence across the country and a flagrant get out of jail pass to rapists,” said Rep. Speier, Co-Chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus. “As the nation grapples with the pain and uncertainty of a global pandemic, and as our K-12 schools and universities adjust to the realities of distance learning with severely limited resources, this Administration found it appropriate to issue regulations that perpetrate another assault on a survivor’s civil and human rights. I ask Betsy DeVos to look a survivor in the eyes and explain how these changes will keep her safe or ensure that she achieves justice. I ask this Administration – where is the humanity in subjecting a survivor to live hearings and cross examinations, or in making it easier for a perpetrator to get away with gross misconduct knowing they can go on to violate again? We will fight this. Congress must ensure that the Administration receives not one dime to enforce or implement this disastrous rule.”
Rep. Speier sent a letter on April 2, 2020, urging the Administration not to release the Final Rule amid a global pandemic that has resulted in school closures and distance learning. Rep. Speier also led a letter to the House Appropriations Committee on March 12, 2020 urging the Committee to include language in the FY21 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill prohibiting any funds from being used to implement or enforce the Administration’s Title IX rule.