Washington • In one of his final acts before leaving office next week, Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., blocked a bill intended to improve the federal government’s response to violence against Native American women.
A spat between the congressman, whose district is home to the largest Indian tribe in Virginia, and the bill's sponsor, outgoing Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D.-N.D., has played out publicly over the last week.
In a tweet, Heitkamp, who narrowly lost her bid for reelection, urged people to ask their representatives to pressure Goodlatte to clear the way for the bill, which the Senate passed unanimously earlier this month.