Moore, Dingell Express Concern Over Pausing Funding Over Domestic Violence and Rape Prevention

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Debbie Dingell (MI-06), co-chairs of the Bipartisan Working Group to End Domestic Violence, sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. to express serious concerns about potential pauses for the only federal funds dedicated to the primary prevention of domestic and sexual based violence – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) and the Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancement and Leadership Through Alliance (DELTA).

“A grant recipient shared that, per a call with staff with Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) staff, all but 12 states have had their funding for these programs denied due to not following the President’s Executive Order issued on August 7, 2025, ‘Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking’,” the lawmakers write. “They shared that they were instructed by staff to make changes to their documentation in order to comply with the Executive Order and receive the funding, and were given only five days to make these “corrections”.

“This directive lacks necessary clarity and threatens to create economic instability for recipients that rely on this funding,” the lawmakers continue. “These critical programs are evidence based, successful, and require this funding from the CDC to help local grantees implement their work.

“These vital, often life-saving programs need adequate resources to serve our communities,” the lawmakers conclude. “Domestic and sexual violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time and it is critical we have programs in place to not only respond to violence after it happens, but also to get to the root of the problem and learn how to prevent it from occurring at all. Investment in prevention of domestic and sexual violence bolsters the health and safety of our communities. Continued interruptions to these grant programs will undermine our nation’s public health response to domestic and sexual violence.”

Read the full text of the letter here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.