By Vanguard Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A growing coalition of prosecutors, local governments, and grassroots organizations is sounding the alarm over the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) abrupt termination of over $820 million in public safety and violence prevention funding. In filings late Friday, three powerful amicus curiae briefs were submitted to a federal court in support of a lawsuit brought by the Vera Institute of Justice and others seeking to halt the cuts, which they argue threaten the safety and stability of communities across the country.
Among those weighing in are 17 states and the District of Columbia, a coalition of 25 prosecutors and municipal leaders including Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and a group of community-based subgrantees warning that their survival now hangs in the balance.
Krasner, in a public statement issued Monday, called the Trump administration’s decision to gut violence prevention and victim services funding “wildly inappropriate and draconian,” accusing President Trump and billionaire Elon Musk of undermining the very principles of public safety.
“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is proud to join over a dozen other prosecutors from around the country in pushing back against these cuts,” said Krasner. “It is difficult to believe that a 34-time convicted felon who helped instigate a violent insurrection against the U.S. government and who is cruelly and recklessly overseeing a destructive deportation program… truly cares about public safety and the rule of law.”
The lawsuit, Vera Institute of Justice et al. v. United States Department of Justice, seeks a preliminary injunction to reverse the cuts. Plaintiffs include not only Vera but the Center for Children and Youth Justice, Stop AAPI Hate, Force Detroit, and Health Resources in Action—representing a broader class of over 200 affected organizations.
In a scathing brief filed by the Public Rights Project on behalf of 25 jurisdictions in 19 states, local governments and prosecutors argue that the DOJ’s April decision to cancel 373 grants—some mid-cycle—without public explanation or stakeholder consultation is unlawful and devastating in its impact. “Funding is integral to protecting our residents,” the brief states. “OJP’s [Office of Justice Programs] en masse, abrupt, and unreasoned decision… will cause immense, immediate, and irreparable harms to amici—and the individuals and communities we serve.”
The brief details the cascading consequences of the DOJ’s actions: police departments losing critical training and equipment, survivors of sexual assault losing access to legal and counseling services, and evidence-based community violence intervention programs being forced to lay off staff and shut down.
One such organization, Beyond Harm in New Orleans, focused on interrupting cycles of domestic violence among men at risk, is now furloughed. The BRidge Agency in Baton Rouge, which served high-crime neighborhoods, has suspended all operations. Another nonprofit, Silence is Violence, which offered trauma counseling to homicide survivors, is facing imminent closure.
In an additional amicus brief, community-based organizations describe the loss as existential. Justice Information Resource Network (JIRN) was forced to lay off a quarter of its research staff. Forever Takes a Village, serving at-risk rural youth in Louisiana, may have to shut its doors. “We are now unable to prevent the next act of violence from happening,” the groups warn.
Meanwhile, 17 states and D.C. emphasized that these cuts strike at the heart of public safety strategy. “The magnitude of the cuts cannot be overstated,” the states wrote. “Defunding programs that police, prosecutors, mental health providers, researchers, victims, and community advocates rely upon does not make Americans safer.”
According to the filings, many of the affected programs—such as those funded by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act—were multi-year, Congressionally approved, and previously hailed by DOJ itself as crucial to reducing violence and improving community trust. In Leander, Texas, DOJ-funded partnerships helped cut youth recidivism from 75% to under 15%. In Baltimore, the Safe Streets initiative helped achieve historic reductions in shootings—only to be defunded weeks later.
The DOJ has argued, in form letters and public statements, that the terminated awards “no longer effectuate program goals or agency priorities.” But the plaintiffs and amici claim this rationale is legally insufficient under the Administrative Procedure Act and U.S. Supreme Court precedent. They note that many grants were cut by DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) staffers without consulting OJP (Office of Justice Programs) program managers or local government partners.
“The idea that these programs don’t align with public safety goals is not only false—it’s reckless,” said one local official. “This isn’t about trimming fat. It’s about kneecapping frontline responses to violence and trauma.”
A court hearing on the injunction is scheduled for June 26. DOJ’s legal response was due Monday, June 9.
As the legal battle unfolds, DA Krasner vowed to remain vigilant. “Public safety requires partnerships,” he said. “And we will continue to push back against the Trump administration’s dangerous and unlawful behavior whenever appropriate.”
