A new GAO report shows that (surprise!) the government is failing to meet the needs of low-income women who are domestic violence victims.

It turns out most caseworkers don't know about the Family Violence Option, which allows welfare recipients who are victims of violence to meet fewer eligibility requirements to receive assistance.

The report also found that the marriage and fatherhood programs (beloved by right-wingers) haven't done much for DV victims, either. Untrained caseworkers could be encouraging marriages between couples with a history of violence.

For this, Rep. Pete Stark (who requested the report along with Sen. Max Baucus), blames the Bush administration:

"Catering to the religious right at the cost of the safety of potentially millions of women and children is beyond pandering to their base, it’s morally bankrupt. Instituting programs that encourage marriage without having the staff trained to recognize whether or not that marriage may result in harm is unconscionable."

The full report is available here.