The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence is suspending negotiations with the Senate Judiciary Committee over its treatment of Christine Blasey Ford.

The Violence Against Women Act — which directs the national response to crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking — was set to expire at the end of September, but was extended through Dec. 7 under a stopgap spending bill. A bill to enhance and extend the law for another five years, introduced by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), has not been taken up by either house of Congress. The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence called on Congress to enlist the advice of experts on how to engage in trauma-informed questioning prior to the hearing and called for a full FBI investigation before Blasey testifies.