Trump’s federal spending freeze puts WA domestic violence survivor services in jeopardy
by Joel Moreno
Tue, January 28th 2025 at 2:28 PM
BELLEVUE, Wash. — A memorandum from the White House budget office calls for a far-reaching spending freeze on federal assistance that would directly impact nonprofits across the country. That includes LifeWire, Washington’s leading service provider for domestic violence survivors.
LifeWire, based in Bellevue, offers survivor-driven services, community-based prevention training, and pathways to safer housing.
The move by President Donald Trump could have devastating consequences for its programs, which have helped 165,000 survivors and their children over its more than four decades in operation. On Tuesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked enactment of the spending freeze until Monday.
“We woke up in a world today where a four-decade partnership in a two-page memo can get turned off like a light switch,” said Patrick Martin, the community relations director for LifeWire. “Especially when a lot of the funding is coming from contracts that were already awarded to LifeWire,” he continued.
The executive order would freeze federal funding for a vast array of organizations, possibly affecting trillions of dollars.
The Trump administration said it wants to undertake an across-the-board ideological review of federal spending. The memorandum directs agencies to evaluate all financial assistance programs to make sure they are consistent with President Trump’s policies and requirements.
Everything from aid to nonprofits, universities, small business loans, and state and local government grants could be affected. This could lead to medical research being paused, homeless shelters being shut down, food assistance programs being halted, and reduced safety for victims of domestic violence if funding for nonprofits like LifeWire are removed.
Democrats are already pushing back and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, immediately went on the attack.
“In a brazen and illegal move, the Trump administration is working to freeze huge amounts of federal funding passed into law by Republicans and Democrats alike,” Murray said. “The scope of this illegal action is unprecedented and could have devastating consequences across the country for real people.”
Public funding accounts for more than two-thirds of LifeWire’s annual budget. A sudden blanket freeze could disrupt essential programs like shelter, housing, and advocacy services.
Many of the clients who receive these services are fleeing dangerous, life-threatening situations.
“We’ve been around for a long time. We’ll continue to be here and we’re committed to making sure that there are no disruptions and that survivors have access to the safety and stability that they need,” Martin said.
To achieve that, LifeWire is rallying state and local partners, as well as the private sector, to identify funding sources in the interim.
“We are following along and looking forward to more information at levels way above our head and in the meantime, we’re just going to be making sure that we’re here for the folks that need us,” Martin said.