The war in Congress over rape in the military, explained
Sexual assault is a huge problem in the US military. And for many victims, the process of reporting their crime and seeking justice can be as traumatic as their assault. Most members of Congress and military officials agree that these basic facts are true, and that more reforms to the military justice system could help. But there's a profound disagreement on how, and how much, the system needs to change. The US Senate is expected to vote this week on the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). Advocates, who have been pushing for the MJIA since 2013, say the reform would make the process of prosecuting sex crimes a lot easier and smoother for victims and help victims feel more empowered to come forward and report the crimes against them. An unusual bipartisan cadre of senators support the MJIA, from Elizabeth Warren to Ted Cruz. But the Pentagon adamantly opposes it, and many senators listen to the Pentagon when it says the MJIA would undermine "good order and discipline." So there's still no filibuster-proof, 60-vote majority for the measure, and it's been defeated every year it's come up. Recently, however, it has come to light that the Pentagon misled Congress about military sexual assault while the MJIA was first being debated in 2013. Spin is one thing, but the Department of Defense appears to have misrepresented some key facts about whether military commanders are better than prosecutors at working in victims' best interests. And this misinformation could have influenced some votes. READ MORE
TAGS: #Military