Attorney General Dan Rayfield today announced that he and a coalition of 21 Attorneys General are suing the Trump administration over the illegal imposition of conditions on Congressionally-authorized Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) grants. The Administration is threatening to cut off access to these critical funds—used nationwide to support victims and survivors of crime—unless states agree to assist with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
“This is yet another attempt to place unlawful conditions on federal funds coming into Oregon to advance the President’s unpopular agenda, this time at the expense of crime victims and survivors,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “These grants support services like the counselor who picks up the phone at 2 a.m., the shelter bed that keeps a mom and her kids safe tonight, or the advocate who walks a victim through the court process.”
The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), enacted in 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, created grant programs that help states provide critical services to victims and survivors of crime as they work to rebuild their lives. VOCA funds everything from victim and witness advocacy, emergency shelter, medical expenses, and crime scene cleanup, to sexual assault forensic exams and funeral costs.
In Oregon, 146 victim service providers rely on VOCA grants, and face a loss of around $15 million in 2025 under these federal cuts. Because VOCA is funded by criminal fines—not taxpayer dollars, it was designed to support victims, not to be used as leverage for unrelated political interests.
“VOCA funding is hugely important to the statewide domestic and sexual violence services system,” said Oregon State Representative Tawna Sanchez. “The reduction in these funds is likely to have a devastating effect on the programs that serve some of the most vulnerable populations in our state.”
Nationwide, states use VOCA funds to assist nearly 9 million crime victims every year and to provide compensation for more than 200,000 victims’ claims. Congress has repeatedly acted to protect and sustain this funding—including in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks—because it recognized how vital these resources are for survivors.
The Trump Administration’s directive violates fundamental principles of American governance: separation of powers and federalism. Congress did not authorize the Department of Justice to impose political conditions on these grants or to use them as a bargaining chip. Attorney General Rayfield and the multistate coalition are asking the Court to block the Administration from implementing or enforcing these unlawful conditions.
In filing this lawsuit, Attorney General Rayfield joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
