FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Media@vera.org 

NEW YORK - On April 2, President Trump announced on Truth Social that Attorney General Pam Bondi would be removed from her position leading the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). In response, the Vera Institute of Justice released the following statement from Insha Rahman, Vice President of Advocacy and Partnerships at Vera and Director of Vera Action:

“Bondi’s forced exit from the Department of Justice is not the end of the Trump DOJ’s agenda to make families, neighborhoods, and cities across the country less safe. Under Bondi’s leadership, the DOJ gutted funding for programs working to prevent crime and serve victims of crime, decimated the department’s civil rights division that investigated misconduct and corruption, and encouraged ‘unleashing’ the police to act without accountability. 

“Almost exactly a year ago, the DOJ under Bondi abruptly and illegally terminated millions in funding for Vera’s programs to promote safety in corrections, support crime survivors with disabilities, and expand mental health crisis response services in cities. The cuts to Vera’s programs were among 373 multi-year cooperative agreements and grants, totaling roughly $820 million, that supported violence prevention, law enforcement training, victim services, youth justice, and more. Vera led a class action lawsuit, in partnership with organizations working on community violence intervention, victim advocacy, youth justice, and criminal justice, to sue Bondi’s DOJ to challenge the illegal termination of our grants. That lawsuit is still pending.

“The remarkable and historic gains in public safety across the nation, when crime has declined significantly since 2023, are despite the actions of the Trump administration—not because of them. This is the legacy Bondi leaves, and it is highly likely that her successor will continue to undermine progress on making communities safe.”