Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) released a statement criticizing the Trump administration regarding recent funding cuts to various gun violence prevention programs.
“My hometown of Parkland was devastated by gun violence. There’s no good justification for axing programs which law enforcement groups say have helped meaningfully reduce gun-related homicides.” Moskowitz said.
The cuts eliminate over half of all U.S. funding for gun violence prevention programs, revoking $158 million in grants previously directed to groups in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Baltimore.
Rep. Moskowitz finished his statement, declaring, “This decision is going to make communities less safe.”
The elimination of community violence intervention (CVI) programs is a broader part of grant cuts at the Office of Justice Programs, which terminated 365 grants valued at $811 million in April, impacting various public safety and victim services programs.
A DOJ official told Reuters that they eliminated the gun violence grants because they “no longer effectuate the program's goals or agency's priorities.” The official said the Office of Justice Programs is reviewing thousands of grants and evaluating how well they support law enforcement and combat violent crime.
Law enforcement agencies have raised concerns regarding the funding cuts, with police chiefs in cities such as Louisville, Minneapolis, Tucson, and Omaha calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to reinstate funding that has resulted in “measurable and significant reductions in violence and homicides.”
The 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act originally provided the vast majority of CVI grants to help stem America’s rising gun violence.
The Biden administration also aimed to make a push to curb gun violence by establishing the first White House Office for Gun Violence Prevention. The Trump administration has since dismantled this office.
