On Thursday, the 113th Congress was sworn in; this comes after their predecessors made a spectacle of the fiscal cliff and threatened to raise taxes on Americans across the board. But during that fiasco, the Violence Against Women Act expired after two decades of being on the books. This legislation helped people who were victims of domestic or sexual abuse, but now that it has expired how will this affect these individuals? Sharon Stapel, director for NYC Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, give us her take on the matter. RT America LIVE rt.com Subscribe to RT America! Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter twitter.com