NBC 5: Justice Department axes hundreds of grants that help crime victims and fight opioid abuse

April 27, 2025, NBC 5

The Justice Department terminated hundreds of grants this week, effectively slashing the budgets for organizations across the country that assist crime victims and fight both gun violence and opioid abuse.

The cancellations, which claimed that the more than 350 already-distributed grants “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities,” sent shockwaves through grantee organizations.

“I was flabbergasted,” said Renee Williams, who leads the nonpartisan National Center for the Victims of Crime. Her organization has operated a hotline for 10 years through a DOJ grant and connects victims of heinous crimes to specialists who help them navigate everything from legal assistance to state bureaucracies.

That grant was cut Tuesday evening.