PHILADELPHIA (June 9, 2025)—“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is proud to join over a dozen other prosecutors from around the country in pushing back against President Donald Trump’s and billionaire Elon Musk’s wildly inappropriate and draconian cuts to federal public safety and victim services funding. These cuts only serve to erode public safety in our communities by impacting the community-based groups, police, and prosecutorial authorities who work every day to reduce violence and address the needs of crime survivors.
“My office recently signed onto an amicus brief filed by the Public Rights Project in support of a lawsuit filed by the Vera Institute and three other plaintiffs against the Justice Department, seeking judicial intervention to reverse these cuts and reinstate the $820 million in critical support for violence intervention and other community safety initiatives, programming for law enforcement and prosecution, victim support services, and scientific studies into public safety.
“Despite their bluster, it is difficult to believe that a 34-time convicted felon who helped instigate a violent insurrection against the U.S. government and who is cruelly and recklessly overseeing a destructive deportation program targeting people—the vast majority of whom have no criminal records—and a billionaire who attempted to purchase an election, truly care about public safety and the rule of law. These funding cuts cast even more doubt on whether the current administration in Washington, D.C., cares one iota about public safety.
“Public safety requires that my office, in partnership with other justice leaders and jurisdictions, will continue to push back against the Trump administration’s dangerous and unlawful behavior whenever appropriate.”
The amicus brief can be found and downloaded here.
CONTACT:
Dustin Slaughter, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.