Other LanguagesSEATTLE - Washington state filed an amicus brief today decrying the Trump administration’s illegal budget cuts to public safety and in support of plaintiffs seeking to halt them.
Building effective public safety systems requires engaging the people who experience crime and violence firsthand. Yet, two months ago, without warning and effective immediately, the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs cancelled hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to community advocates, researchers, local governments, and law enforcement for programs that fill crucial gaps in the public social safety net.
“Communities must be empowered to set public safety priorities and build solutions,” Attorney General Nick Brown said. “The federal government’s actions have gutted essential public safety programs nationwide. Apparently, preventing violence, supporting crime victims, and rehabilitating incarcerated people are no longer priorities of the Justice Department.”
Washington state filed the brief with 17 others in a class-action lawsuit against the Justice Department challenging these illegal and arbitrary cuts. The lawsuit was brought by five community organizations, including Washington State’s Center for Children and Youth Justice, on behalf of the hundreds of organizations impacted by the funding cuts.
Nationwide, the administration’s actions rescinded about $500 million in already approved grant funding that was yet to be disbursed.
The administration eliminated programs that provide direct support to police and prosecutors, and other programs that complement law enforcement efforts. Many of the cancelled programs provide services that state and local governments are ill equipped or unable to provide. Other terminated programs support victims as they recover from the worst days of their lives. In Washington state, the cuts impacted the Center for Children & Youth Justice and National CASA/GAL, both of which provide support for young people navigating the justice system.
The cuts will also impact programs in Washington that train sexual assault nurse examiners, who provide forensic examinations to sexual assault survivors. Research shows that victim access to these professionals can improve outcome for survivors and result in higher prosecution rates. These cuts would guarantee the continued shortage of forensic nurses, limit access to care for victims, and decrease the legal system’s capacity to investigate and prosecute sex offenders and human traffickers.
Plaintiffs in the case have requested a preliminary injunction. That motion is pending in federal District Court for the District of Columbia.
Joining Washington in the brief are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
Document: Amicus Brief
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