The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (NTF) is gravely concerned about the Trump Administration’s attempts to freeze all federal grants, which threaten the stability of programs that provide life-saving support to victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The NTF is a national collaboration comprising a large group of national, tribal, state, territorial, and local organizations, advocates, and individuals that focuses on the development, passage, and implementation of effective public policy to address domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. Federal grants are a cornerstone of efforts to combat these issues. They enable shelters, crisis hotlines, advocacy services, and prevention programs to operate effectively. They fund law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts that hold offenders accountable. A freeze on this funding jeopardizes critical programs that directly support victims, survivors, and their families while also undermining broad systems that protect public safety and hold perpetrators accountable. This puts the safety, dignity, and well-being of millions of victims and survivors at risk.
Any funding cuts undermine decades of progress in addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and send a troubling message to victims: that their safety and healing are not a priority. This is not about politics. It is about people. Victims, survivors, families, and communities need and deserve unwavering support and a government that prioritizes their safety and recovery regardless of personal or political views.
Approximately 24 people per minute experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States. Had the grant funding freeze gone into effect, approximately 11,520 people every day would have potentially been harmed and lost access to much-needed resources. Prosecutors whose positions are funded by Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants obtain an average of 201 convictions a day; in each day of the pause, 201 individuals who have been charged with domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking have evaded justice. VAWA funds pay the salary of 260 law enforcement officers around the country, who respond to calls for assistance, investigate cases, and refer more than 65,000 cases to prosecutors every year. It also supports sexual assault nurse examiners and forensic examiners who provide over 10,000 medical forensic exams annually. Without funding, police departments, hospitals, and social services will be overwhelmed with emergency cases that could have been prevented with proper intervention.
On behalf of victims, advocates, and service providers, the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence urges policymakers to act swiftly to maintain funding; reaffirm their commitment to victims, survivors, families, and communities; and prevent the devastating consequences of sexual and domestic violence from taking hold in their communities across the nation. Together, we can ensure that every survivor has access to the resources they need to heal and thrive and that communities can hold offenders accountable.