Rep. Watson Coleman, ACLU, FWD.us, Community Advocates Hold Press Conference on Funding Cuts to Safety Programs
.jpeg)
Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, the ACLU, FWD.us and other community safety advocates held a press conference at the House Triangle to discuss the impacts of recent federal funding cuts to community safety programs.
The Department of Justice recently announced they were blocking $810 million in community safety funding across more than 360 grant programs. The funding of these programs supports public health and safety projects run by nonprofits that work with state and local governments.
The programs at risk include those that combat opioid abuse and addiction, reduce hate crimes, halt human trafficking, prevent violence in rural communities, offer mental health intervention services, and much more.
“As a Member of Congress, I want to express my outrage that this administration thinks it has the authority to pocket the money we lawfully appropriated for the purpose of helping people who need help,” said Rep. Watson Coleman. “When my colleagues and I - both Democrats and Republicans - voted to approve this spending it was our intention that the money would be used in the manner we laid out. It was our goal to halt human trafficking, prevent opioid overdoses, protect domestic violence victims, treat mental illness, and stop hate crimes. And I would really appreciate it if the Trump administration would get out of our way. I call on this administration to release this funding and allow these organizations to carry out the good work that they do to keep us all safe.”
“The federal government is ignoring what actually keeps our families and communities safe,” said Oni Blair, executive director of the ACLU of Texas. “As a mom of three kids and as a Texan working for a state where everyone can build a good life, I want Congress to invest in real community safety: mentoring programs for children, job opportunities for parents, and mental health support for families. Instead, my taxpayer money is being wasted on an unlawful deportation scheme that denies people of a fair legal process and tears families apart.”
“Community violence intervention has proven to dramatically reduce gun violence in communities throughout this nation,” said Jess Eddy, co-founder of LiveFree OKC, a violence intervention program in Oklahoma. “Americans across the political spectrum support this smart approach that prevents crime from occurring in the first place, supports victims and impacted communities, and provides for the peace we all deserve. If we want safe communities, we need to commit to fully funding these programs.”
“These are some of the most thoroughly vetted and competitive public safety grants in the federal system,” said Theron Pride, former deputy associate attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice. “Communities across the country rely on these funds to implement evidence-based strategies that interrupt violence, support victims, and strengthen public trust. Cutting them now — after they’ve already been awarded — is not just disruptive, it’s dangerous. We’re pulling the rug out from under jurisdictions and organizations that are doing the hard, necessary work to make our communities safer.”
“We have decades of research making it clear that incarceration is one of the most expensive and least effective public safety strategies,” said Elissa Johnson, vice president, Criminal Justice Campaigns at FWD.us. “This research is echoed by voters from across the political spectrum, who have been overexposed to the harms of America’s incarceration crisis, and understand it does not make our communities safer. Serious safety agendas prioritize investments in community initiatives and direct services with a proven record of advancing public safety. We’ve turned a corner in understanding what drives safety, and we can’t afford to go backward. The evidence is clear: safety and justice go hand in hand.”
“Over these last several decades, the U.S. has made significant progress on public safety,” said Thea Sebastian, founder & executive director of the Futures Institute. “But today, thanks to recent funding cuts and administrative reorganizations, we’re jeopardizing this progress — and, in so doing, putting families everywhere at risk. This week, I’m delighted to join 100 other organizations nationwide to launch a Community Safety Agenda that invests in what actually keeps people safe — housing, summer jobs, violence intervention, alternative response, youth programs, and more. This evidence-based agenda is a blueprint for how we can move America forward, not back, while building a 21st approach to safety.”
“The sweeping cuts to DOJ funding for victim services risk the lives and recovery of countless survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other forms of violence and abuse. Safety is a human right, and this funding is essential, keeping programs accessible to all survivors, regardless of race, immigration status, gender identity or sexual orientation,” said Liz Roberts, CEO of Safe Horizon, the nation’s largest victim service provider. “These cuts communicate a blatant disregard for the danger survivors face when they cannot get help in a crisis. We call on Congress and the administration to restore these programs without delay.”
A recording of the press conference can be found here.