A group of Democratic senators notified the Trump Justice Department that it would review the decision to terminate hundreds of grants already funded and approved by Congress.
“While this Administration continues to market itself as the administration of law and order and public safety, DOJ has decided to defund programs that prosecutors, police and sheriff’s departments, judges, mental health service providers, academics, and more depend on,” said the letter from 28 senators, which included Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, Patty Murray and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “These programs deliver critical resources to state, local, and community advocates who help people with addiction and protect kids, veterans, and victims of crime across the country.”
On April 22, an email from Maureen Henneberg, deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Justice Programs, surfaced that notified staff about the termination of at least 365 grants.
“Top-line Department priorities with respect to discretionary grant funding, focus on, among other things, more directly supporting certain law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and promoting coordination of law enforcement efforts at all levels of government,” the email said.
An Imprint analysis of a list of the grants found that about five dozen pertain very specifically to youth justice or youth development programs, totaling about $170 million.
“Many of these providers are not going to continue to operate their programs,” Liz Ryan, who led the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for Joe Biden, told Imprint reporter Nell Bernstein. “Some of them will have to lay off staff, and some of them may not survive these cuts. We’re going to lose all of that vital expertise and experience that could be put towards helping young people grow and thrive.”
The senators posted nine specific questions in a letter sent to Henneberg and Attorney General Pam Bondi. The first was simply whether the list of 365 grantees that began circulating last week was exhaustive, or if other terminations had been made.
The other questions were:
- Which grants that were terminated on April 22 have since been restored? For each grant restored, please provide the reason for its restoration.
- How were the grants that were terminated chosen? What were the factors considered in making the determination to terminate? Where the affected grantees were state or local jurisdictions, did the political party of state or local officials in those jurisdictions influence the determination to terminate?
- Were there entire categories of grants that were terminated? If so, provide the categories.
- What is the legal basis for terminating grant funds that are statutorily required?
- Has DOJ reallocated the funds it rescinded on April 22? Provide any specific programs or purposes to which these funds will be reallocated.
- Will DOJ terminate any more grants, from any of its funding components, that have been obligated or are in cycle? If so, provide the grant-making component and the grants that will be terminated or are under consideration to be terminated.
- Was former Tesla employee turned-DOGE staffer Tarak Makecha solely responsible for selecting which grants to terminate? Provide the names of all individuals within DOJ who reviewed or approved the cancellation of the grants.
- Did any White House officials review the grants to be terminated or otherwise have any involvement in the decision to terminate the grants? Provide their names.
The letter instructs the Justice Department to respond by May 6.
“Additionally, we advise that the Department restore immediately the grants terminated on April 22,” the letter concludes. “The cursory termination of these programs imperils the public safety of the victims and communities that rely on these critical resources.”
