Survivors Unite: An Open Letter to President Trump
At a time when so many across the victim service sector have scrambled to adapt and adjust their work out of fear of retaliation, loss of federal funding, and more, Safe Horizon remains unwavering in our commitment to support survivors. To do that, we’re sending a message to our nation’s leadership that life-saving services for victims must be protected, and that survivors will not be silenced.
Sign the Petition
Letter
Dear President Trump,
We write as survivors of violence, a group that comprises one-third of all Americans and who voted for you at the same rate as other blocks of voters. During your campaign, you promised to look out for ordinary citizens, to champion public safety, and to “stand up for women.” Now, as you serve our nation again, we are asking you to live up to that promise by standing unequivocally with survivors—and by ending the chilling effect your administration’s actions have had on domestic violence and sexual assault organizations.
Despite your pledge to protect us, we have witnessed a new atmosphere of fear and uncertainty: domestic violence and sexual assault nonprofits have censored themselves to avoid retaliation and funding freezes. Your administration’s threats of funding cuts—and hints at stripping 501(c)(3) statuses from organizations that criticize you—have caused chaos in our community. Survivors need these programs to be fully funded and free to speak the truth. We’ve also seen individuals with histories of violence or anti-survivor records placed in positions of power in your administration, deepening distrust. If you truly believe, as you have said, that America faces an urgent crime problem, then it is in everyone’s interest—yours, ours, and the country’s—to protect and strengthen the very programs designed to help people affected by violence. We know from experience that when funding dwindles and qualified staff leave under these pressures, survivors are left alone, and cycles of abuse keep repeating.
Mr. President, we are calling on you to publicly affirm that federal funding streams supporting survivors will remain intact, unthreatened by politics or personal agendas. We urge you to speak out in favor of these life-saving services and to encourage Congress to invest more, not less, in resources that help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of violence. We may not see eye to eye on every policy, but we can agree that no survivor should be forced to suffer in silence because an organization fears retaliation—or worse, closes its doors altogether. You won the votes of survivors who believed you would champion them. Now is the time to show that their trust was not misplaced and that your commitment to their safety is real. We stand ready to work with you, but we will not remain silent when lives hang in the balance.
Sincerely: [Your Name]
We write as survivors of violence, a group that comprises one-third of all Americans and who voted for you at the same rate as other blocks of voters. During your campaign, you promised to look out for ordinary citizens, to champion public safety, and to “stand up for women.” Now, as you serve our nation again, we are asking you to live up to that promise by standing unequivocally with survivors—and by ending the chilling effect your administration’s actions have had on domestic violence and sexual assault organizations.
Despite your pledge to protect us, we have witnessed a new atmosphere of fear and uncertainty: domestic violence and sexual assault nonprofits have censored themselves to avoid retaliation and funding freezes. Your administration’s threats of funding cuts—and hints at stripping 501(c)(3) statuses from organizations that criticize you—have caused chaos in our community. Survivors need these programs to be fully funded and free to speak the truth. We’ve also seen individuals with histories of violence or anti-survivor records placed in positions of power in your administration, deepening distrust. If you truly believe, as you have said, that America faces an urgent crime problem, then it is in everyone’s interest—yours, ours, and the country’s—to protect and strengthen the very programs designed to help people affected by violence. We know from experience that when funding dwindles and qualified staff leave under these pressures, survivors are left alone, and cycles of abuse keep repeating.
Mr. President, we are calling on you to publicly affirm that federal funding streams supporting survivors will remain intact, unthreatened by politics or personal agendas. We urge you to speak out in favor of these life-saving services and to encourage Congress to invest more, not less, in resources that help survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other forms of violence. We may not see eye to eye on every policy, but we can agree that no survivor should be forced to suffer in silence because an organization fears retaliation—or worse, closes its doors altogether. You won the votes of survivors who believed you would champion them. Now is the time to show that their trust was not misplaced and that your commitment to their safety is real. We stand ready to work with you, but we will not remain silent when lives hang in the balance.
Sincerely: [Your Name]