White House responds to USA TODAY investigation on rape kit backlog

WASHINGTON – The White House responded Thursday to a USA TODAY investigation that documented ongoing failures within the federal effort to address backlogged rape kits, emphasizing that President Joe Biden has made protecting women from violence a priority throughout his career.

“When it comes to the issue of domestic violence, when it comes to an issue in protecting women, this is something that the president has been on the forefront of as a senator, as a vice president and certainly as president,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Jean-Pierre said she was unaware of the USA TODAY investigation and had not yet spoken with the president about its findings.

Biden shepherded the landmark Violence Against Women Act through Congress as a senator in the 1990s. The law aimed to change the way law enforcement officers and the criminal justice system handled domestic violence and sexual assault to protect victims.

As then-vice president, Biden in 2015 announced the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. Since then, 90 local and state agencies have been allocated about $350 million dollars in Justice Department grants intended to help test backlogged kits, solve more cases and give answers to rape survivors.

“When we solve these cases, we get rapists off the streets,” Biden said at the time. “For most survivors, seeing their rapists brought to justice, and knowing that they will not return, brings peace of mind and a sense of closure. The grants we’re announcing today to reduce the national rape kit backlog will bring that sense of closure and safety to victims while improving community safety.”

But USA TODAY’s investigation found that in the nearly 10 years since that initiative launched, uneven progress has been made. The Justice Department said the program has led to 100,000 kits being tested and 1,500 convictions so far.

A USA TODAY analysis found nearly half of those have come from two agencies, while many other agencies have seen few results.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After rape kit backlog report from USA TODAY, White House responds