We encourage you to call your Member of Congress and ask that they support federal funding for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

 
Dear Members, Allies, and Affiliates,
 
Today, the White House released the President’s budget for Fiscal Year 2018. While the President’s budget is not law, it is a reflection of President Trump’s priorities for our nation, and this budget reflects little attention to providing supportive resources for survivors and their families. While President’s budget does propose funding for vital funding streams, including the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Family Violence Prevention Services Act (FVPSA), and the Rape Prevention and Education Program (RPE), the budget showcases a disregard for the life-saving and health-promoting programs that support survivors, their families and their communities. The budget cuts Medicaid funding by $1.4 trillion, Social Security Disability (SSI) funding by $72 billion, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by $193 billion, and eliminates funding for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC).
 
All survivors need access to basic services and a safety net in times of trauma and crisis.  This budget proposal undercuts the services provided for all survivors, but would have the most drastic impact on those who have been historically marginalized, silenced and oppressed, or ignored by existing systems of support.
 
As you know, access to quality and affordable health care is essential to a survivor’s healing process and path to recovery.  Medicaid and SSI are integral support programs that provide survivors a foundation to rebuild their lives and heal. Legal services provide crucial protection for survivors and their families and offers access to justice for low-income families.  Cutting these programs would have ripple impacts across our communities and society.
 
It is our hope that that Congress works together to ensure that President Trump’s budget proposal does not become a reality and instead prioritizes funding for communities that face compounding experiences of oppression and violence.
 
We encourage you to call your Member of Congress and ask that they support federal funding for survivors of sexual and domestic violence and programs, like Social Security, Medicaid, SNAP, and the Legal Services Corporation, which provide a safety net for survivors and their families.

Sincerely, 

California Partnership to End Domestic Violence & California Coalition Against Sexual Assault