The U.S. Senate passed a measure to assist the victims of human trafficking, clearing the agenda for a Thursday vote on the confirmation of attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch.
In a unanimous vote, senators approved a bill that establishes a fund for victims of human trafficking. The money will be segregated into medical and non-medical services in order to appease Democrats who feared an expansion of a federal ban on using taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion services.
The deal ended weeks of stalled negotiations on the bill, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tied to moving forward with the Lynch nomination.
Lynch is expected to be confirmed Thursday by a narrow margin, with many Republicans planning to vote against her because she endorsed President Obama’s executive actions concerning illegal immigrants.
“I am both pleased and relieved that the Senate has passed the bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act,” said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said, “This critical human-rights bill will provide help for the oppressed victims of modern-day slavery, and I hope that it will proceed quickly into law without further delay.”
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., took a swipe at the GOP for including the abortion language, which Democrats approved in committee before noticing it and demanding its removal. But he also praised the deal with the GOP, which doesn’t happen often.
“It is evident that when Democrats and Republicans sit down together and work toward a solution, good things can happen,” Reid said. “The Senate needs more of this.”
