A family matter

Federal funding to protect women from violence needs to remain intact.

What is the single greatest cause of injury to women? Automobile accidents? No. Slip and fall? No. Muggings? No. The No. 1 cause of injury to women is domestic violence. Every 9 seconds, a woman in America is assaulted or beaten, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Three women a day are murdered by a man they married or dated. These assaults affect women of all races, ages, income levels, educational backgrounds. And if the Trump Administration has its way, the risk of violence is going to get worse.

The administration’s 2018 budget proposal delivered to Congress last month would eliminate 93 percent of funding for the Violence Against Women Act, an effective prevention initiative that supports grant programs that help victims and their families.

It is not much money in the great scheme of things: currently $460 million in a $3.76 trillion budget. But it saves lives, and in the chaos that passes for a national government in the Trump era, we are compelled to call attention to yet another policy decision by lawmakers that will shortchange women and their children.

In addition to essentially eliminating VAWA funding, the budget includes cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services that would gut the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, which is another important source of federal funding for domestic violence shelters. If the HHS cuts are applied across the board, approximately 260,000 fewer victims would be able to access shelters and supportive services each year, according to estimates from the National Network to End Domestic Violence. A woman is 70 times more likely to be killed by her abuser in the two weeks after leaving than at any other time during the relationship, so these secret and protected locations are a critical lifeline. Imagine having to turn these women — and their children — away because there isn’t space. The Center for Women and Families estimates that 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence every year with lifelong repercussions.

Intervention programs at the heart of the Violence Against Women Act have been demonstrably effective. The law was passed in 1994 and renewed in 2013, and since its passage, the overall rate of intimate partner violence has declined by 64 percent, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Our own Republican U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted against renewal of VAWA in 2013. This is an opportunity for them to redeem themselves and prove that their rhetoric about the importance of the family is genuine. The Violence Against Women Act and Family Violence Prevention and Services Act have been proven effective in reducing intimate partner violence. Cornyn and Cruz, and the entire Texas congressional delegation, should make sure both programs are fully funded. Lives depend on it.