– This morning, Congresswoman Annie Kuster released the following statement regarding a new report showing a fifty percent increase in reported cases of sexual assault in the U.S. Military.  

“While I am encouraged that this new report shows more victims of military sexual assault coming forward to report their abuse, I am appalled at the still very high number of assaults that continue to occur within our military system. Our service members make extreme personal sacrifices to serve and protect our great nation, and no service member should ever feel threatened or be forced to withstand the pain and humiliation of a sexual assault while serving in the line of duty.

“This report shows that while we have taken positive steps to increase reporting mechanisms, still much more must be done to prevent these attacks from happening in the first place. I call on Congress to immediately pass H.R. 2974, my bill to provide travel benefits for veteran victims of military sexual assault who must travel long distances for care, and I urge the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to take immediate steps to eliminate the occurrence of these heinous crimes.”

As a member of the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus, Kuster has continuously pushed the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the Department of Defense to address and eradicate instances of sexual assault in the military. Along with Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN), Kuster is a sponsor of legislation that would provide travel benefits so victims of military sexual assault can access the appropriate medical services they need to recover, and last year she helped pass bipartisan legislation to enhance whistleblower protections for service members who report instances of sexual assault in the military.

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