Nevada lawmakers moved in a hurry Thursday to keep services for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence from hitting a wall, approving an emergency cash infusion after federal grants were suddenly frozen. The stopgap money is aimed at keeping crisis centers, victim advocates, and law enforcement training programs running while state officials sort out audit issues and federal paperwork that triggered the funding hold.
As reported by The Nevada Independent, the Interim Finance Committee unanimously approved more than $1.1 million in emergency funding and directed the Attorney General’s Office to seek loans if federal funds do not resume. The money released Thursday covers most of the two programs’ combined 2026 budget of about $1.28 million.
“You’ll probably see us back here in the spring,” Teresa Benitez-Thompson, the attorney general’s chief of staff, told The Nevada Independent. She said the office expects the funds to be released once the single audit is completed, projected for mid-2026, and described being blindsided by the freeze in July. The pause prompted the governor’s finance office to temporarily shift salary-adjustment funds to cover immediate grant-management needs.
Federal pause and legal fallout
Nevada’s funding snag is part of a wider federal slowdown that has left survivor-service providers across the country scrambling. The Trace documented organizations nationwide losing or seeing delays to federal grants, and a coalition of 17 sexual-assault prevention groups has filed suit challenging the new grant rules, according to a complaint posted by Democracy Forward.
Attorney general and state pushback
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has pushed back on the federal policy shift, with his office pursuing legal options to protect victim services and joining other states in litigation over the administration’s funding rules. In a press release, the Nevada Attorney General’s Office said it sued to block new Department of Justice restrictions and is working to keep grant dollars flowing to local providers while the legal fight plays out.
What’s next for survivors and the budget
Lawmakers expect to revisit the funding issue in the spring, after auditors complete key work and federal officials reassess the grants. The Legislative Counsel Bureau’s Audit Division oversees Nevada’s single-audit reports, which federal agencies use to verify compliance. Advocates say the episode highlights how quickly bureaucratic delays can threaten services for survivors, even when states step in with temporary funding.
