As your constituent, I urge you to restore $1.9 billion in funding for the Victims of Crime Act, and provide $1.15 billion for Violence Against Women Act programs, including $100 million each for the Sexual Assault Services Program, Transitional Housing Program, and the Legal Assistance for Victims Program. I hope you’ll advocate for these priorities with colleagues as they work on the annual appropriations bill to fund the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and Science - and work to ensure overall spending caps do not threaten these and other key investments.
Stagnant―or decreased―funding endangers survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, while demand skyrockets. During the lockdown phase of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. saw an 8.1% increase in domestic violence incidents―and the number hasn’t gone down. Several states and cities have seen an increase in domestic violence incidents and calls to hotlines, with Illinois experiencing a 90% increase over pre-pandemic levels.
From FY2023 to FY2024, the Victims Of Crime Act withstood a $600 million cut―40% of its budget.
We know that the impact of these cuts will fall hardest on rural communities, low-income communities, LGBTQ communities, and communities of color. Potentially tens of millions of victims nationwide will lose access to lifesaving and life-sustaining child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, and other victim services, which will not only be felt by individuals and families, but also in communities. Unfortunately, these are the kinds of investments that are threatened by harsh and arbitrary funding caps that would result in at least $75 billion in reduced funding for critical human needs.
I strongly urge you to fund these critical programs so that survivors can have access to all the support they need – and work to pass bipartisan spending bills that invest in our communities. Thanks!
First sent on June 13, 2024 by Jess Craven
