FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 410-576-7009
Thirteen Maryland Crime Prevention Programs at Risk of Losing Funding from
Illegal and Ill-Advised Federal Funding Cuts
BALTIMORE, MD - Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today joined a
multistate amicus brief opposing the Trump administration’s illegal budget cuts to programs
essential to public safety and in support of plaintiffs’ lawsuit to stop the cuts.
Building effective public safety systems requires engaging the people who experience crime and
violence firsthand. Yet, two months ago, without warning and effective immediately, the U.S.
Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs cancelled hundreds of millions of
dollars in funding to programs that provide violence prevention, victims services, juvenile
justice, mental and substance abuse prevention, child protection, reentry, policing, prosecution,
and critical research.
“The Trump Administration’s decision to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in critical
funding for law enforcement, local governments, and community advocates is not just
misguided—it’s a dangerous threat to public safety. In Maryland alone, that decision jeopardizes
more than $20 million in public safety resources that support programs proven to reduce
violence, provide services to victims, and help Marylanders successfully re-enter society after
incarceration,” said Attorney General Brown. “I’m joining this effort to block these reckless
and harmful cuts because Maryland cannot afford to reverse the progress we’ve made in driving
down crime and rebuilding trust in our criminal legal system.”
Attorney General Brown joined 17 other attorneys general in filing the brief in a lawsuit against
the DOJ challenging these illegal and arbitrary cuts. The lawsuit was brought by five community
organizations on behalf of the hundreds of organizations impacted by the funding cuts.
Thirteen Maryland programs with grants totaling more than $20 million had their funding cut.
Nationwide, the administration’s actions rescinded about $500 million in already approved grant
funding that was yet to be disbursed. The administration eliminated programs that provide direct
support to police and prosecutors, and other programs that complement law enforcement
efforts.
Many of the cancelled programs provide services that state and local governments are ill
equipped or unable to provide. Other terminated programs support victims as they recover from
the worst days of their lives.
Plaintiffs in the case have requested a preliminary injunction. That motion is pending in the
District Court for the District of Columbia.
In filing the amicus, Attorney General Brown joins the attorney generals of Arizona, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Michigan,
Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and
Washington.
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