Justice Department axes hundreds of grants that help crime victims and fight opioid abuse

The Justice Department terminated hundreds of grants this week, effectively slashing the budgets for organizations across the country that assist crime victims and fight both gun violence and opioid abuse.

The Justice Department terminated hundreds of grants this week, effectively slashing the budgets for organizations across the country that assist crime victims and fight both gun violence and opioid abuse. The cancellations, which claimed that the more than 350 already-distributed grants “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities,” sent shockwaves through grantee organizations. “I was flabbergasted,” said Renee Williams, who leads the non-partisan National Center for the Victims of Crime. Her organization has operated a hotline for 10 years through a DOJ grant, and connects victims of heinous crimes to specialists that help them navigate everything from legal assistance to state bureaucracies. That grant was cut Tuesday evening. “I genuinely believed that this administration had victims in the forefront of their mind,” Williams told CNN. “But to get that email to see that they were cutting out victims, and that this hotline – which we know is a lifesaving resource to so many people – was no longer a priority was just stunning.” It is not unusual for new administrations to review applications for federal grants, or award grants based on their political preferences. But it is highly unusual for grants to be clawed back once the money is allocated and is being used, former DOJ officials told CNN.