Reckless Trump DOJ cuts will IMMEDIATELY increase violent crime

WASHINGTON — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement on the Trump administration’s rescindment of millions of dollars of grants to local gun violence prevention and crime reduction programs. Also included were cuts to domestic violence assistance programs and drug addiction intervention programs. 

The administration claimed grants were terminated in part because they want to focus on “protecting American children,” yet the leading cause of death of American children and young people is gun violence. Community violence intervention (CVI) programs and their staff confront  this public safety crisis head on with limited resources, however the administration decided to withdraw this critical funding when it is needed most, ironically, in service of “combating violent crime”. 

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that pulling violence intervention workers out of communities will lead to an immediate surge in violence—people will die. Brave intervention workers help bring down violent crime rates and ensure more young people make it home safe each night, and law enforcement benefits greatly when these efforts are part of a coordinated, comprehensive strategy,” said Paul Carrillo, who leads the GIFFORDS Center for Violence Intervention. “These strategies easily attract bipartisan support because they entail cost-effective, locally managed programs to reduce violent crime without touching any gun laws. Community violence intervention has nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with the hard work of stopping community violence before it escalates and people get killed. There is no valid justification for cutting off lifesaving services—none.”

CVI uses homegrown peacemakers to interrupt cycles of violence, stop shootings before they happen, and walk alongside impacted communities on their recovery journeys. Community violence is a daily tragedy in neighborhoods across the country: In 2020, there were more than 25,000 homicides, the majority committed with a firearm, and tens of thousands more nonfatal shootings. Black and Brown communities are disproportionately impacted by this violence, and CVI programs help the most vulnerable communities by delivering culturally relevant services. By rescinding this critical funding, many communities will be left behind and violence will undoubtedly increase.

GIFFORDS is tracking President Trump’s disastrous record on gun violence here.