WASHINGTON — A bipartisan duo within the Home is main a letter to Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi expressing “deep concern” that the Trump administration has put in danger funding grants for applications that assist survivors of home violence and sexual assault.
Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Younger Kim, R-Calif., have been amassing signatures for the letter, which was first obtained by NBC Information and is backed by greater than 100 Home members. The letter can be despatched to Bondi on Thursday.
In February, the Justice Division’s Workplace of Violence Towards Ladies eliminated all notices of grant alternatives for fiscal yr 2025 from its web site, sparking alarm from nonprofit teams that present providers to abuse victims, Politico reported.
“We write to precise our deep concern about experiences that the Workplace on Violence Towards Ladies (OVW) has withdrawn its Discover of 2025 Funding Alternatives. OVW administers important grant applications that present lifesaving assist to survivors of home violence, sexual assault, courting violence, and stalking,” the letter reads.
“The sudden withdrawal of those funding alternatives threatens to disrupt important providers, jeopardize the steadiness of sufferer help applications, and undermine the bipartisan dedication to combating these types of violence,” it continues. “We respectfully urge the Division of Justice to make clear the standing of those grants as quickly as potential and take swift motion to make sure funding stays obtainable to assist survivors and the organizations that serve them.”
The Justice Division didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The letter is a uncommon bipartisan rebuke of the Trump administration’s dealing with of federal funding. Gottheimer is working for governor of New Jersey this yr, whereas Kim is a average Republican from Southern California who faces a troublesome re-election combat subsequent yr.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., a co-chair of the Downside Solvers Caucus, additionally signed on to the letter. The signers additionally embody two Republican delegates to the Home, Kimberlyn King-Hinds of the Northern Mariana Islands and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa.
Different Democrats serving to with the trouble are Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, a member of the occasion’s management within the Home, and Rep. Gwen Moore of Wisconsin.
The Workplace on Violence Towards Ladies was created by the Violence Towards Ladies Act, a bipartisan regulation referred to as VAWA, which administers grant applications that present providers to survivors of home violence, sexual assault, courting violence and stalking.
VAWA was signed into regulation in 1994 and reauthorized a number of instances, most not too long ago in 2022. Democrats have identified that at her Senate affirmation listening to, Bondi vowed to “faithfully implement these applications” and “be sure that all applications administered by the Division, together with these at OVW, are administered successfully and in accordance with their missions as enacted by Congress.”
The lawmakers wrote of their letter: “A delay or discount in OVW funding could have devastating penalties for the numerous people who depend on these sources for security, authorized safety, and restoration. This abrupt withdrawal of funding has created extreme uncertainty that threatens the well-being of survivors who can not afford these delays.
“We ask that the Division make clear its plans to rectify this example and be sure that OVW grant funding is totally restored with out additional delay to proceed offering care to survivors of home violence.”
Scott Wong
Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC Information.