The Senate is poised to vote Thursday afternoon on two military sexual assault bills by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), a Democratic leadership aide told TPM.
Gillibrand’s proposal would remove the prosecution of rape from the military chain of command, while McCaskill would keep the issue within the military brass but beef up internal protections for sexual assault victims.
Under a procedural agreement, both measures will be brought up at 60-vote thresholds. Gillibrand’s bill will come up first. Her office counts 55 public supporters so far, including 10 Republicans. If “cloture” is invoked, the bill will immediately move to debate and hold a final vote, without amendments. Then the Senate will hold a cloture vote on McCaskill’s bill, followed by a final vote — her bill is expected to pass easily.
Gillibrand’s office said the senator supports McCaskill’s bill regardless of whether hers passes and stressed that the two are not competing proposals.
“I am confident, that if needed, we will earn the votes needed to overcome a filibuster and promise that my colleagues and I who support this common sense reform will fight with all we have for its passage until the final gavel comes down. Then men and women of our military deserve no less,” Gillibrand said.
The issue had been put off when the House and Senate cut a deal last year to reauthorize defense spending, which omitted sexual assault reforms.
