December 20, 2017
Over the last two days, Congress voted to pass sweeping tax reform legislation which the Congressional Budget Office estimates could increase the federal deficit by $1.4 trillion over the next 10 years. In order to help pay for the tax plan, Congressional leaders are paving the way to make deep cuts to a wide range of services and programs.
Safe Horizon CEO Ariel Zwang says, “To everyone who responded to our action alert and urged your member of Congress to vote ‘No’ on this proposal, thank you. While the end result is disappointing, we remain grateful to our many supporters who stood up for our communities, and especially for children and adults harmed by violence. Sadly, the situation could become more dire for victims of violence and abuse and the organizations that support them.”
In order to offset the projected loss of federal revenue from these tax cuts, Congressional leaders are already talking about aggressively pursuing so-called “entitlement reform.” This will erode important sources of support for victims of violence and abuse and the organizations that assist them. We anticipate that Congressional leaders will propose deep cuts to Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and the Community Development Block Grant, all of which support core programs and services at Safe Horizon and many other victim service providers around the country.
Zwang continued: “Safe Horizon will be vigorously advocating with federal lawmakers to preserve funding streams that support shelters for domestic violence victims fleeing abuse, 24-hour hotlines that connect victims of crime with crisis programs, legal assistance and shelters, and trauma-informed mental health counseling for victims and witnesses.”
We can’t allow our leaders to potentially cut resources for victims of violence and abuse. Will you join us in standing with survivors by making a tax-deductible donation now?
Together, let’s raise our voices on behalf of crime victims, their families, and communities.