US: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Sexual Violence Prevention Division Faces Severe Cuts

Genna Wolinsky, Legal Analyst

Genna is a US Legal Analyst who came to McO with a background in plaintiff’s-side litigation and class-action lawsuits. At McO, she focuses on employment, higher education, and sexual abuse cases. She plans to qualify as a US lawyer in the future.

On April 1, thousands of federal workers were fired from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and related agencies across the US. As part of the layoffs, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) lost most of its dedicated sexual violence prevention team, while the head of the Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services was placed on administrative leave. The layoffs, announced on the first day of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), have significant implications for state and local programs relating to sexual violence across the nation.

The cuts will affect both domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers, many of which rely to a substantial extent on the federal funding. Although no funds set aside for state and local programming has been cut, it remains to be seen whether federal cuts will affect programs at the local level. HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard has stated that “All statutorily required positions and offices will remain intact, and as a result of the reorganization, will be better positioned to execute on Congress’s statutory intent.”

As the gutting of federal agencies continues under Trump, there has been increasing concern about the ability of various agencies to reach the populations they are designed to serve. On April 4, members of Congress issued a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr expressing significant concern about the recent cuts at HHS. The letter requests a plan for mitigating the impact of the cuts and expresses concern that staff reductions will undermine the nation’s public health response to domestic and sexual violence. A petition has also been initiated online requesting similar action.

Although domestic and sexual violence programs have historically enjoyed bipartisan support, some CDC employees speculate that these programs have been specifically targeted by the Trump administration as part of its war on “wokeism.” While there remains a great deal of uncertainty in how the federal HHS staff reductions and budgetary cuts will affect state and local efforts, there are still many programs and advocate organizations dedicated to working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence and prevention efforts.