In new suit, anti-domestic violence groups say Trump is holding them over barrel
Several national groups working to end domestic violence say federal agencies are leveraging congressionally appropriated funding to advance the Trump administration's ideological visions, according to a federal complaint filed Monday.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, is a lengthy 92 pages and accuses four federal departments and their administrators of abuse of power. The plaintiffs say they are being forced to accept the administration's terms or lose funding.
Jane Doe Inc. of Massachusetts is one of about 20 organizations across the country suing the federal agencies. It is also the only one from the commonwealth.
"I don't see how we can do the work to end domestic violence without addressing power and control abuses," Hema Sarang-Sieminski, executive director of Jane Doe Inc., which is based in Boston, told The Republican on Tuesday.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services, Scott Turner of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Andrew Gradison of the Administration for Children and Families, Susan Monarez of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Thomas J. Engels of the Health Resources and Services Administration were all named defendants in the lawsuit.
The Republican could not reach any of the defendant's departments for comment Tuesday afternoon. Brian Rosen-Shaud, the Washington, D.C., attorney representing the plaintiffs, declined to comment on the litigation.
"The departments have thrown a wrench in this lifesaving work ... forcing grantees to agree to various new conditions and certify compliance with various requirements," the complaint alleges.
The plaintiffs allege they are forced to choose between changing the programs to align with the Trump administration's executive orders , rolled out in January, which include an end to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, or to risk subjecting themselves to liability, the complaint said.
A majority of the same organizations filed a similar lawsuit last month against the Office on Violence Against Women, claiming the office froze grant notices in March, then re-released some with revised language, which they allege violated the Violence Against Women Act, a three-decade-old bill passed by Congress.
The claims are similar to issues raised in other lawsuits against the Trump administration .
Much of the work the organizations do involve providing resources to smaller organizations that directly work with affected communities to end domestic violence, said Sarang-Sieminski, which includes efforts in the LGBTQ+ community, immigrant populations and other minority groups.
The plaintiffs allege the departments violated the Administrative Procedure Act; specific department policies about DEI and gender ideology; the Administrative Procedure Act; the separation of powers; the First Amendment; and the Fifth Amendment's due process clause.
The plaintiffs are requesting that a federal judge rule unlawful, stay and vacate the conditions allegedly imposed by the departments in this lawsuit.
The defendants have not yet answered the complaint.
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