Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Today’s Senate Vote On Legislation To Replenish The DOJ Crime Victims Fund

Washington, D.C. –  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding today’s Senate vote on the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Later today, the Senate will pass a long-overdue fix to the Crime Victims Fund to help Americans stitch back their lives after falling victim to violent crime.

As hard as it is to suffer the trauma of violent crime, survivors almost always face enormous financial hardship in the immediate aftermath. Just think about health care or mental health services for victims of human trafficking or sexual assault, emergency housing for victims of serious domestic abuse, legal fees for those who try to pursue justice for the crime committed against them. Those services can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

So for nearly 35 years, the Justice Department has operated a Crime Victims Fund that uses money from federal convictions and fines to help survivors of violent crime. It’s a simple idea, it has helped thousands upon thousands of Americans during the most challenging moments of their lives.

But today, this popular and effective program is in danger of going into the red. Compared to five years ago, the Crime Victims Fund could fall to less than one-twentieth – one-twentieth – of its former size by the end of the next fiscal year.

Well, the Senate is not going to abandon Americans who have survived violent crimes.

Today, the Senate will pass legislation to replenish the Crime Victims Fund and set it on a path towards long term stability.

The Crime Victims Fund has been a beacon of hope and healing for countless survivors over the decades. With today’s vote, survivors of violent crime can rest assured that it will continue to be that beacon of hope and healing for decades more to come.

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