The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a bill designed to protect women from domestic violence. The bill passed the chamber by a vote of 244-172, with 29 Republicans joining Democrats. President Joe Biden had introduced the original VAWA in June 1990 when he was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. A subsequent version of VAWA was included in the sweeping crime bill in 1994 signed by then-President Bill Clinton. Congress has reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act three times since—in 2000, 2005, and 2013. Biden on Wednesday issued a statement in support of the bill’s reauthorization. He urged the Senate to also pass the bill and said the matter should not be a partisan issue and is instead “about standing up against the abuse of power and preventing violence.” The bill aims to reduce domestic and sexual violence and improve the response to it through a variety …