Deep Cuts in Presidential “Skinny Budget” Threaten Safety of Domestic Violence Survivors Nationwide

May 7, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Washington, DC – The release of President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2026 “skinny budget” is deeply concerning for advocates and survivors of domestic violence. The recommended topline funding levels include devastating cuts to domestic violence programs, proposing sweeping reductions and eliminations across a wide range of federal programs that millions of Americans, including survivors, rely on for safety, health, and stability.

The proposal to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control will directly impact Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) and Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) programs, which provide for critical domestic violence and sexual assault prevention work. The budget also features cuts to support for programs under the Office on Violence Against Women, mental health services, child abuse prevention, youth homelessness prevention, and substance abuse treatment.

The need for services is high, and service providers are struggling to meet the needs. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV)’s 18^th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report, on just one day in 2023, close to 77,000 victims received services from local programs. On the same day, more than 13,000 service requests were not met because of a lack of resources. This proposed topline budget threatens to further erode these essential safety nets, putting at risk not only survivors of domestic violence but also families experiencing homelessness, children, veterans, older adults, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable communities. If enacted, these cuts would have far-reaching and potentially devastating consequences, undermining decades of progress in domestic violence prevention, public safety, health, and community well-being.

“The proposed deep funding cuts will directly affect the critical services that survivors depend on,” said Stephanie Love-Patterson, NNEDV President & CEO. “Survivors need the lifesaving services programs provide, and many of them are already under-resourced, leaving service providers struggling to meet the overwhelming demand for help.”

Recent data from the 18^th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report highlights the urgent and unmet needs of survivors across the country. On a single day, tens of thousands of survivors and their children sought assistance, but thousands of requests for shelter, legal advocacy, and counseling went unmet due to insufficient resources.

Advocates warn that federal budget cuts will further erode the safety net that has protected survivors for decades. “Cuts to federal funding will have devastating consequences for the core services that keep survivors and their families safe and moving forward in life,” Love-Patterson continued.

Advocates and survivors urge Congress to reject the proposed cuts. The released “skinny budget” is just the first step in a lengthy approval process that will unfold in Congress. We hope that lawmakers will stand with survivors and the programs on which they depend when the budget is finalized. NNEDV urges elected officials to prioritize the safety and well-being of survivors and their children.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Communications@NNEDV.org.

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The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) represents the 56 state and U.S. territorial coalitions against domestic violence, representing more than 2000 domestic violence programs nationwide. NNEDV is a social change organization working to create a social, political, and economic environment in which domestic violence no longer exists. NNEDV works to make domestic violence a national priority, change the way society responds to domestic violence, and strengthen domestic violence advocacy at every level.