Moore, Fitzpatrick, Dingell, Kim Urge Trump Administration to Protect Domestic Violence Grantmaking Program

Moore, Fitzpatrick, Dingell, Kim Urge Trump Administration to Protect Domestic Violence Grantmaking Program

Following reports of Department of Justice (DOJ) efforts to merge the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) into the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Representatives Gwen Moore (WI-04), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Debbie Dingell (MI-06), and Young Kim (CA-40), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Domestic Violence Working Group, led a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi opposing any proposed consolidation. Established through VAWA, the OVW administers grants and funds programs that address sexual assault, domestic abuse, and stalking. The OVW is the only entity in the federal government that provides direct engagement for victims and survivors of crime.

The Members wrote: "The DOJ cannot lawfully consolidate OVW into OJP without explicit Congressional authorization, and such an action would exceed the DOJ's administration authority while directly undermining Congressional intent."

Existing statue states: "The Office [OVW] shall be a separate and distinct office within the Department of Justice, not subsumed by any other office, headed by a Director, who shall report to the Attorney General and serve as Counsel to the Attorney General on the subject of violence against women, and who shall have final authority over all grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded by the Office."

The Members continued: "Beyond violating the legal prohibition, this reorganization would be a profound step backwards in the federal government's response to violence against women. First enacted in 1994, and through its bipartisan reauthorizations, VAWA has transformed the nation's response to domestic and sexual violence. Under the leadership of OVW, the government has established a cross-coordinated response that brings together law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders to efficiently prevent and respond to violence against women."

"We ask the DOJ to abandon any proposal to unlawfully consolidate OVW into OJP and instead, reaffirm its commitment to maintaining OVW as an independent office as Congress intended and in accordance with the law. A robust OVW office remains one of our nation's best tools to help combat violence against women and girls."

65 members of Congress, including the Bipartisan Domestic Violence Working Group co-chairs, supported this letter.

Read the full text of the letter here.