The Trump administration's decision to cut federal funding for community violence intervention programs could lead to an increase in violent crime, experts have warned. In April 2025, more than $800 million in grants were eliminated from the Department of Justice’s office of justice programs, which had been aimed at preventing and responding to gun violence.
The justice department justified the cuts by stating that it was instead focusing on 'prosecuting criminals,' but some experts argue that intervention programs are more effective at reducing violence than simply making arrests. 'We saw historic reductions in homicides, which means that countless fewer families had to bury loved ones,' said Shani Buggs, an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis, who studies community violence prevention. 'It is beyond disheartening that rather than investing and studying what worked and pouring into what worked, we are doing the opposite.'
Homicides in the US have fallen dramatically in recent years after a spike during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the murder rate increased 30% over 2019, the largest-ever recorded increase, according to the FBI. Violent crime started to ease during the second half of the Biden administration and has continued to decline under Trump. In 2025, there were 25% fewer homicides than in 2019, according to the Council on Criminal Justice.
Despite this progress, the Trump administration has portrayed the decline as a result of its own policies, including the deployment of National Guard troops to US cities. However, experts dispute this claim, noting that crime dropped significantly in cities like Baltimore, Buffalo, and Salt Lake City, where the National Guard was not deployed. 'We have seen significant drops in violent crime in cities without any deployments,' said Rhett Morris, co-author of a Brookings Institution report on homicides.
In 2022, the Biden administration approved the Safer Communities Act, which provided $250 million for community-based violence intervention. This funding supported organizations such as Baltimore’s LifeBridge Health and the Urban Peace Institute in Los Angeles. The Trump administration terminated grants worth millions of dollars to these groups, despite Baltimore seeing the largest homicide rate decrease among 35 cities studied.
Experts say it is difficult to pinpoint why violent crime has dropped so sharply. Possible factors include increased investment in intervention programs, infrastructure improvements, and the easing of pandemic-related stressors. 'There are too many explanations to potentially name, and none of it do we know for sure are the major drivers,' said Jeff Asher, a data analyst.
The cuts were justified by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi as eliminating 'millions of dollars in wasteful grants.' However, it is unclear how much waste or fraud actually exists. In Minneapolis, a lawsuit alleged improper awarding of funds to violence prevention organizations, and the city settled to require more detailed applications. Separately, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against We Push for Peace, a non-profit that allegedly siphoned over $6.5 million for personal expenses.
Despite these isolated cases, many violence intervention programs have proven successful. In San Francisco, a violence reduction initiative led to a 50% reduction in homicides and non-fatal shootings in the targeted district. Buggs rejects the argument that cuts were necessary due to waste. 'There was no investigation of waste, fraud and abuse before the cuts were made,' she said. 'When you’re talking about preventing violence, I would think that our government would want to ensure that we weren’t doing harm first before making these cuts.'
