Two Republican Senators sign on to military sexual assault bill

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) (C) speaks while flanked by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) (L) U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) (2nd-R) and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (R) during a news conference on sexual assault in the military, July 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. U.S. Sen. Gillibrand announced the support of 34 senators that will co-sponsor her proposal to take the decision whether to prosecute sexual assaults out of the hands of the military chain of command.

Yesterday, two rising Republican stars added their names to the list of supporters, Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas.

Following reports this spring of sexual assault and misconduct in the military, Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand proposed legislation to address the issue.

Specifically, her bill would take the decision of whether to prosecute out of the hands of military commanders and put it in the hands of a new justice system. The proposal needed 51 votes to move out of the Senate Armed Services Committee to the Senate floor.

It failed to pass earlier this year, but it is gaining momentum. Currently, the bill has more than 30 co-sponsors. Yesterday, two rising Republican stars added their names to the list of supporters, Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas.

Darren Samuelsohn has been covering the proposed legislation for POLITICO and joins the show with more.