Republicans don’t like the fact that Democrats have them pegged as waging a war against women. So it’s baffling that Republicans haven’t unanimously extended the Violence Against Women Act. But Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn is accusing Democrats of playing political games with the Act.

In a rant written for the Houston Chronicle, Cornyn accused Democrats of using the Republican refusal to renew the Act for political gain.

“Since it became law in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has helped millions of victims break free from the terrible cycle of domestic violence – including hundreds of thousands of victims here in Texas – and it has always enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Yet some folks are now trying to use VAWA as a partisan football to score cheap political points and raise campaign funds. The law was enacted to protect and serve the interests of crime victims, not to help a political party fire up its base. Moreover, to argue that a minor policy disagreement indicates a lack of sensitivity toward battered women is simply beyond the pale.”