Trump’s cuts to intervention programs could increase violent crime, experts say

The justice department justified the cuts by stating that it was instead focusing on ‘prosecuting criminals’, but some experts argue that intervention programs are more effective at reducing violence. Photograph: Victor J Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Homicides in the US have fallen dramatically in recent years after a spike during the Covid-19 pandemic, but now some advocates for community violence intervention programs worry federal funding cuts by the Trump administration will reverse that trend.

In April 2025, more than $800m in grants was cut from the Department of Justice’s office of justice programs aimed at preventing and responding to gun violence, among other causes.