House Democrats probe Trump DOJ's funding freeze to crime victim groups

DOJ cutting grants for transgression victims groups

Justice Department cutting assistance backing for transgression victims groups 03:27

Democrats connected the House Judiciary Committee person launched a reappraisal of the Trump administration's freezing of backing to hundreds of organizations that supply services to transgression victims and connection information programs.  

Days aft a CBS News report revealed the Justice Department halted assistance backing to astir 400 nonprofit and transgression victims' groups, House Judiciary Committee Democrats person asked the section to manus implicit accusation connected the agency's determination by a May 19 deadline.  

Among different things, Democrats connected the GOP-led sheet person asked the Justice Department to item if immoderate of the cuts were directed by billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Governmental Efficiency, which has slashed authorities grants arsenic portion of an administration-wide cost-cutting drive. They besides questioned whether much assistance cuts are planned.

In a missive sent Monday to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the lawmakers wrote, "The Department's notifications to grantees not lone neglect to supply awardees with immoderate mentation arsenic to wherefore their awards struggle with oregon bash not service the DOJ's priorities, but besides bash not supply immoderate details arsenic to however these termination decisions were made."

The committee's enquiry to the Justice Department asked, "How does the Department program to instantly enactment transgression victims successful the aftermath of terminating grants that enactment initiatives to supply enactment and counseling to transgression victims, specified arsenic guidance connected uncovering harmless lodging and referrals to victims' compensation programs?"

A Justice Department memo to nonprofit groups announcing the backing cuts said the transgression victims' assistance programs did not "effectuate" Justice Department priorities. 

A Justice Department spokesperson said the organizations would beryllium fixed 30 days to entreaty the halting of their assistance money. The spokesperson said astatine slightest 2 of the organizations had their backing restored days aft it was initially cancelled past month.

In their missive to Bondi notifying her of the committee's review, the Judiciary Committee Democrats asked what criteria was utilized to determine to reconstruct the funding.

A CBS News review recovered the impacted information programs see a San Francisco-based enactment that seeks to trim hatred crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a New York radical that works to trim schoolhouse shootings, the "Emmett Till acold lawsuit investigations and prosecution program" successful New Orleans, the "Matthew Shepard and James Byrd hatred crimes grooming and method assistance" inaugural for transgression simplification successful Florida, a Michigan radical that supports re-entry for young offenders and a Virginia radical that helps quality trafficking and enactment maltreatment victims.

Several of the impacted groups are readying a rally Wednesday day successful Oakland, California, to protestation backing cuts. The organizations, including the Health Alliance for Violence Interventions, said the lawsuit volition "highlight however millions of dollars successful backing cuts volition interaction nationalist information successful Oakland and Alameda County, particularly successful airy of the city's ain fund crisis."