More than three dozen Democrats in Congress signed a letter pressing the Trump administration to reverse its sudden cancellation of more than $150 million for community violence prevention programs, The Trace’s Chip Brownlee reported on Friday. The cuts have jeopardized at least 65 community-based programs across 25 states, forcing some organizations to consider laying off employees or closing down entirely.
As The Trace has reported, the grants sent a historic influx of funds to programs seeking to reduce shootings through street outreach, mentoring, hospital-based interventions, restorative justice, and other community-led strategies, sometimes in partnership with law enforcement. The Justice Department canceled the grants with no prior warning, cutting off recipients months and even years before their funding was scheduled to end.
The letter was authored by representatives Robin Kelly, Maxwell Frost, Shontel Brown, and Lucy McBath, and it was signed by 43 other House Democrats.
“This is funding that has already been allocated through appropriations or the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, but Trump and DOGE believe it’s a waste of money,” Kelly told Brownlee last week. “Let’s be clear: grants to organizations that save lives are never a waste — but this administration treats American lives callously at the direction of Elon Musk. These latest cuts are insult to injury after injury since Day One when President Trump closed the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention.”
From The Trace
Democrats to Trump: Restore Gun Violence Prevention Funding: In a letter, Congressional lawmakers pressed the administration to reverse its sudden cancellation of more than $150 million for community programs.
Trump’s Budget Cuts Reach the Front Lines of Philly’s Fight to Reduce Shootings: Despite their role in slowing bloodshed, several local organizations are losing federal funding.
The Gun Industry Makes Billions. But How Many Exactly?: It’s hard to estimate since it’s made up of dozens of public and private companies. In this edition of Ask The Trace, we attempt an answer.
What to Know Today
The White House is poised to ask Congress for budget cuts to the ATF, FBI, and DEA, according to sources familiar with the proposal. If enacted, the cuts would put the ATF’s budget at the lowest it’s been since 2016. The proposal comes as the Justice Department has considered merging the ATF and DEA. [Reuters]
The Justice Department restored Mel Gibson’s gun rights, the latest development in an issue that’s become a flashpoint for the administration. Gibson, a Trump supporter, lost his firearm rights after a domestic violence conviction. Nine others also saw their gun rights restored. [USA TODAY]
The National Shooting Sports Foundation outspent the National Rifle Association on lobbying in the first quarter of 2025, according to a report from the reform group Guns Down America. [Guns Down America]
The Tesla takedown movement stresses that it is opposed to violence and vandalism, and the vast majority of its protests have been peaceful. Why are Elon Musk and his allies calling it “domestic terrorism”? [WBUR]
The Department of Homeland Security canceled congressionally authorized funding for university-housed centers that conduct research into domestic national security threats like active-shooter scenarios. [NOTUS]
Four years after it was first announced, the controversial Atlanta police training center known as “Cop City” finally opened. The project faced a strong opposition movement that became higher-profile after law enforcement shot and killed a protester. The Trace’s Fairriona Magee reported in 2023 that, even as the city invested millions in the complex, community activists in Atlanta watched its commitments to violence intervention programs fall short. [WABE]
Data Point
$1,850,000 — the amount that the National Shooting Sports Foundation spent on lobbying in Q1 of 2025. [Guns Down America]
Non Sequitur
A woodpecker has invaded a Massachusetts neighborhood. Residents are taking it in stride
“Everybody’s having a good laugh about it. Nobody wants harm to the bird. He’s always welcome back.” [Associated Press]
