A bipartisan group of more than a hundred lawmakers are calling on Attorney General Pam Bondi to fully restore funding for the Office on Violence Against Women, warning of “devastating consequences” for victims.
The letter noted that OVW has “withdrawn notices of funding opportunities” for 2025 and instructed grant seekers to not “finalize any applications.”
“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,” the letter stated. “We respectfully 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.”
Created in 1995 upon the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, OVW is tasked with providing grants which have “provided vital resources to law enforcement agencies, legal service providers, crisis centers, and community organizations that work to support survivors and prevent violence and abuse.”
Congress reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act in 2022, extending the law through 2027.
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“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 stated. “We ask that the Department clarify its plans to rectify this situation and ensure that OVW grant funding is fully restored without further delay to continue providing care to survivors of domestic violence.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Justice Department for comment.