Bipartisan group of lawmakers pushes DOJ to restore grant opportunities to combat domestic violence
Source: NBC News
April 24, 2025, 6:00 AM EDT
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan duo in the House is leading a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi expressing “deep concern” that the Trump administration has put at risk funding grants for programs that help survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Young Kim, R-Calif., have been collecting signatures for the letter, which was first obtained by NBC News and is backed by more than 100 House members. The letter will be sent to Bondi on Thursday.
In February, the Justice Department’s Office of Violence Against Women removed all notices of grant opportunities for fiscal year 2025 from its website, sparking alarm from nonprofit groups that provide services to abuse victims, Politico reported.
“We write to express our deep concern about reports that the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has withdrawn its Notice of 2025 Funding Opportunities. OVW administers critical grant programs that provide lifesaving support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking,” the letter reads.
“The sudden withdrawal of these funding opportunities threatens to disrupt essential services, jeopardize the stability of victim assistance programs, and undermine the bipartisan commitment to combating these forms of violence,” it continues. “We respectfully urge the Department of Justice to clarify the status of these grants as soon as possible and take swift action to ensure funding remains available to support survivors and the organizations that serve them.” The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/bipartisan-group-lawmakers-pushes-doj-restore-grant-opportunities-comb-rcna202687
Link to LETTER (PDF viewer) - https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25912567-vawaletter/
Link to LETTER (PDF) - https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25912567/vawaletter.pdf