Bondi faces bipartisan calls against delaying funds for domestic violence programs
Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing calls from members of both sides of the aisle to ensure grant funding for the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is “fully restored.” A handful of Republicans joined dozens of Democratic lawmakers in signing a letter to Bondi on Thursday that expressed “deep concern” after OVW said earlier...
Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing calls from members of both sides of the aisle to ensure grant funding for the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is “fully restored.”
A handful of Republicans joined dozens of Democratic lawmakers in signing a letter to Bondi on Thursday that expressed “deep concern” after OVW said earlier this year that it had “withdrawn notices of funding opportunities” and said those interested “should not finalize any applications started under them.”
The website also told would-be applicants to continue to check back “to stay up-to-date on current and future open funding opportunities.”
Lawmakers urge the Department of Justice to “clarify the status of these grants as soon as possible and take swift action to ensure funding remains available to support survivors and the organizations that serve them.”
OFW was established in 1995 after the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, landmark legislation championed by former President Biden during his time as a senator.
“OVW administers critical grant programs that provide lifesaving support to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking,” the letter stated, adding that “the sudden withdrawal of these funding opportunities threatens to disrupt essential services, jeopardize the stability of victim assistance programs, and undermine the bipartisan commitment to combating these forms of violence.”
“A delay or reduction in OVW funding will have devastating consequences for the countless individuals who rely on these resources for safety, legal protection, and recovery,” the letter reads. “This abrupt withdrawal of funding has created severe uncertainty that threatens the well-being of survivors who cannot afford these delays.”
The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Young Kim (R-Calif.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), and Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) led more than 100 lawmakers in signing on to the letter.
