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Committee member says federal grant cuts and DOJ actions have harmed survivors of assault and domestic violence
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Summary
A committee member opening a House Judiciary Committee hearing warned that recent Department of Justice grant cancellations and proposed FY27 budget cuts threaten services for survivors of sexual assault, trafficking and domestic violence, citing specific grant losses and alleged DOJ actions that raised privacy and safety concerns.
A committee member opening a House Judiciary Committee hearing on violence against women told colleagues that recent federal decisions have weakened support for survivors of sexual assault, trafficking and domestic violence.
"Every survivor deserves to be safe, protected, and supported," the committee member said, citing National Domestic Violence Hotline data that an average of 24 people per minute become victims of physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner—more than 12 million people per year. The member also noted that more than one in five women nationwide have experienced rape or attempted rape and that most assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.
The member criticized the Department of Justice for abruptly terminating 373 grants totaling around $500 million, saying roughly 59 of those grants specifically supported survivors. As an example, the member said the National Organization for Victim Advocacy (NOVA) lost an $870,000 grant that funded a pilot victim-advocate training program serving communities often bypassed by traditional services.
The member warned the president's fiscal year 2027 budget proposal would deepen the impact on survivors by cutting Office on Violence Against Women programs, citing proposed reductions of $14 million to transitional housing grants and $15 million to legal-assistance grants—programs the member described as crucial for enabling survivors and their children to leave violent situations and rebuild their lives. The member also said the administration proposed consolidating the Office on Violence Against Women with other DOJ offices despite statutory language requiring the office to remain a stand-alone entity.
The member raised broader concerns about Department of Justice capacity and priorities, saying DOJ is "hemorrhaging" lawyers and that resources have been diverted to immigration enforcement. The member cited a 2025 figure that about 14,500 federal law-enforcement officers were reassigned and pointed to a New York Times finding that Homeland Security investigators logged about 33% fewer hours on child-exploitation cases from February through April. The member further asserted that roughly 23,000 criminal investigations were closed in the first six months of the administration.
The committee member singled out the case of convicted trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, saying DOJ transferred Maxwell to a lower-security facility in Texas and describing what the member characterized as privileged treatment there. The member also criticized the Department's public release of records related to the Epstein matter, saying the DOJ redacted names of alleged abusers and enablers while, in many cases, failing to redact victims' names.
The member praised survivor advocates, noting that Kaylee Kozak's advocacy led Arizona to allow survivors to petition state courts for permanent protection orders that are separate from criminal cases, and said Maryland has similar protections. The member welcomed witnesses including Kozak and Lisa Jordan and yielded back to the chairman.
The hearing proceeded to receive testimony from the invited witnesses.
