Washington ( CNN ) -- In a series of floor speeches Thursday , a group of mostly Democratic women senators made a high-profile and at times emotional appeal to Republicans to support an expanded Violence Against Women Act ( VAWA ) . In doing so , they suggested Republicans were blocking the bill because it would extend its protections to illegal immigrants as well as gays and lesbians . Many Republicans were furious at that suggestion and accused Democrats of election-year politics by trying to paint Republicans as anti-women . `` Let me put this on the table , '' said Sen. Dianne Feinstein , D-California . `` This bill includes lesbians and gay men . The bill includes undocumented immigrants who are victims of domestic abuse . The bill gives Native American tribes authority to prosecute crimes . In my view these are improvements . Domestic violence is domestic violence . '' Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska , the lone Republican to join in the floor speeches , said domestic violence victims in her state are often isolated in rural communities `` where there is no law enforcement and there is no shelter and there is nowhere to go , '' she said . `` The Violence Against Women Act is , I think , a ray of hope for those who service victims of domestic violence and sexual assault within our villages . '' `` Nobody opposes the reauthorization of this legislation , '' Jon Kyl of Arizona , the second-ranking Senate Republican , told CNN . `` If you follow the Judiciary Committee work on it , the questions had to do with the additions that have been made to this bill related to illegal immigrant visas , related to the additional sums of money and grants that would be available and the like . `` So what Republicans are focusing on is how to make a bill that should be reauthorized functional in this day and age of significant budget constraints so we can still accomplish the goals of the legislation , '' Kyl continued . `` I really resent the implication by some of my Democratic friends that if you 're trying to improve the bill that somehow you are for violence against women . That 's reprehensible . '' Asked whether the provisions about undocumented immigrants and gays and lesbians needed to be pulled from the bill , Kyl said : `` I do n't know . Reasonable people ought to be able to sit down and work these things out . '' Sen. Jeff Sessions , R-Alabama , accused reporters of `` carrying Schumer 's water , '' when they asked him whether he opposed the bill because it would include illegal immigrants and gays and lesbians . Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York is the Democrats ' top message strategist in the Senate . Republicans think it was his idea to suddenly put VAWA on the floor , just after high-profile battles over other women 's issues -- like abortion and contraception -- were in the news . `` I 'm always for the Violence Against Women bill , '' said Sessions who voted for a GOP alternative bill that was defeated in the Democratic-majority Judiciary Committee . But he said every time VAWA is up for reauthorization , `` if you do n't agree with everything that 's in it , they just attack you as being anti-women . '' Sessions added that he was not aware until Thursday the Democrats bill extended to lesbian , gays and illegal immigrants but he acknowledged voters could misread Republicans ' views on the bill . `` I think we should be sensitive to the impressions we cast by our votes and so forth but fundamentally you ca n't vote a piece of legislation you do n't think is sound , '' Sessions said . One bit of evidence that Democrats were , in fact , trying to use the issue for their political advantage was a fundraising appeal e-mailed to supporters by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee . `` Today we 're seeing another stunning GOP attack on women 's rights , '' exclaimed the appeal which asked for donations of $ 5 or more for the committee 's `` Protect our Women 's Rights Fund . '' In an interview with CNN 's Dana Bash Wednesday about the recent fight over contraceptives , Murkowski warned her party is in danger of angering women voters . `` I think my party is in an unfortunate place right now , as viewed by many , many women in this country who are feeling anxious about what they believe to be attacks on women 's health , '' she said .
Several Republicans accused Democrats of election-year politics . Sen. Jon Kyl : "It is clear from the letter that they have put political motives ahead of national security and constitutional principles." He cites `` significant budget restraints '' vs. the effort to expand the legislation . Sen. Jeff Sessions , R-Alabama , accused reporters of `` carrying ( Chuck ) Schumer 's water ''