Report says federal funding cuts reduce services for Native crime victims
Survey finds many Tribal and Native organizations have scaled back victim services since early 2025
Federal funding cuts since early 2025 have reduced services for American Indian and Alaska Native survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis, according to reporting by Native News Online. The reporting cites a new Urban Indian Health Institute report, Sacred Responsibility, Protecting Our People, which found that 64% of the 201 Tribal and Native-serving programs surveyed said they have been substantially affected by funding cuts. Another 44% reported victim services have already been reduced or are expected to be cut.
The report found that 84% of respondents rely on federal funding for more than half of their operating budgets. The report recommends stable long-term funding for Tribal programs, expanded Tribal law enforcement resources, and reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. The report was released as Urban Indian Health Institute Director Abigail Echo-Hawk testified before a House oversight hearing on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People crisis.
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