HUD Secretary Scott Turner (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
A federal court on July 25 granted a temporary restraining order to plaintiffs challenging the Trump-Vance administration’s restrictions on grant funding for organizations serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, LGBTQ youth, and unhoused populations.
Pursuant to President Donald Trump’s issuance of executive orders prohibiting the use of federal dollars to support diversity, equity, and inclusion along with transgender rights, the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services each moved to suspend several of their grant programs.
Democracy Forward, one of the groups representing plaintiffs in the case, characterized the restrictions as an attempt to “impose ideological and political limits” on funding that was authorized by Congress through the Violence Against Women Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
The loss of federal grants posed an existential threat to many of these organizations, which would have been forced to either abandon their work or risk legal liability simply for running inclusive programs and acknowledging the existence and needs of trans people.
In March, U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) led Senate Democrats in two letters to HUD Secretary Scott Turner urging him to continue the disbursement of grants through the agency’s Continuum of Care program, which supports homelessness-related initiatives and provider organizations.
The senators in their second letter called on the department to “ensure all individuals experiencing homelessness receive protection and support, regardless of gender identity, location, or other characteristics.”
Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman also addressed how the Trump administration’s funding restrictions will harm LGBTQ populations served by the organizations and providers impacted by the policy.
“This administration continues to target people in vulnerable communities; and we continue to meet them in court,” she said. “Organizations serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness should not be forced to abandon their work, erase the identities of those they serve, or compromise their values just to keep their doors open.”
“This unlawful and harmful policy puts extreme schemes ahead of people’s dignity and safety by restricting essential federal support,” Perryman said. “At Democracy Forward, we are proud to be alongside this nationwide coalition and our partners to hold the administration accountable for undermining people’s safety.”
In a statement that was shared along with Perryman’s in Democracy Forward’s press release on Friday about the TRO, the plaintiffs said:
“We welcome the court’s decision to grant our motion to halt the Trump-Vance administration’s unlawful and dangerous funding restrictions. These conditions threaten to undermine decades of progress in supporting survivors of violence, LGBTQI+ youth, and unhoused individuals.
“Our organizations exist to serve everyone with compassion and equity, and we will not be forced to choose between our values and mission and the communities we serve. The court’s order is a critical step in protecting life-saving programs and ensuring that the providers across the country can continue their work without political interference.
“We brought this case because we have seen firsthand the harm these restrictions would cause. This ruling affirms what we have long known, that the law does not permit any government to use its funding power to force service providers to abandon their core principles.”
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