Reps. Kelly, McBath, Brown, Frost lead letter to Trump on cancelled funds to community violence intervention organizations

WASHINGTON - U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly (IL-02), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Maxwell Frost (FL-10) led 43 of their Democratic colleagues in a letter to President Donald Trump demanding he continue funding for community violence intervention (CVI) programs.

Last week, the Department of Justice terminated $811 million in grants, which included over $66 million under the Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI). This funding was designated by Congress through appropriations and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

"Communities across the United States, both rural and urban alike, have long grappled with persistent violence," members wrote in the letter. "Recognizing this dire situation and understanding the critical role that community-based violence intervention and prevention programs play in combating the community violence epidemic plaguing American communities, there is an urgent need to continue to support programs such as CVIPI to ensure that violence reduction continues.

"Although these proven strategies have been researched, cited in academic literature, and supported by law enforcement, they remain chronically underfunded at every level of government, prolonging the daily loss of life and rising violence," members continued. "Therefore, to continue strengthening our public health and safety infrastructure to combat community violence and senseless deaths, we urge you to continue the disbursement of CVIPI grants immediately. Reinstating this funding would reaffirm the federal government's commitment to addressing community violence through a comprehensive and coordinated approach, ensuring the safety and well-being of all Americans."

As members noted in the letter, the cancellation of grants did not happen in isolation. It is only the latest action taken by the Trump administration to hurt public safety measures.

Read the full letter here.