与全国各地数百个致力于帮助遭受家庭暴力和性暴力侵害的儿童及成人的组织一样，位于密歇根州庞蒂亚克的“CARE House of Pontiac”也依赖联邦政府的资助——不过，这笔资金的来源可能许多美国人从未听说过。
Like hundreds of organizations across the country that support children and adults victimized by domestic and sexual violence, CARE House of Pontiac, Michigan, relies on federal funding from a source many Americans have likely never heard of.
新联邦财政年度（即10月1日）开始后，这些资助金额将大幅减少。一些专家认为，这是由于联邦政府的起诉力度减弱（尤其是针对犯罪行为的起诉减少）导致的。
And on Oct. 1, at the start of the new federal funding year, those funds will suffer significant reductions. Some experts say that’s a result of shrinking deposits, due in part to a decline in federal prosecutions.
“CARE House of Oakland County”的总裁兼首席执行官布莱斯·泰勒（Blythe Tyler）表示，她的组织即将损失30万美元，这相当于其总预算的10%。
Blythe Tyler, president and CEO of CARE House of Oakland County, says her organization is about to lose $300,000, about 10% of its budget.
她对MS NOW电视台表示：“这笔资金至关重要，因为如果没有它，大约有300名受害者将无法获得必要的帮助。”
“It’s so critical because it really equates to 300 children that may not receive services because those funds aren’t available,” she told MS NOW.
《犯罪受害者援助法案》（Victims of Crime Act, VOCA）由罗纳德·里根总统于1984年签署生效，其核心理念是让犯罪者承担赔偿责任，并将这些赔偿金用于资助帮助犯罪受害者的组织。
The Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), signed into law in 1984 by President Ronald Reagan, was created on the premise that criminals should pay restitution and that those funds should be granted to organizations assisting victims of crime.
这笔被称为“犯罪受害者基金”（Crime Victims Fund, CVF）的资金主要来源于针对企业欺诈、白领犯罪及其他联邦犯罪的刑事处罚和罚款。该基金并不使用任何联邦纳税人的资金；申请该基金的组织需要经过司法部下属的“犯罪受害者援助办公室”（Office of Victims of Crime）严格审核。
That pot of money — the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) — is financed largely by federal criminal penalties and fines concerning cases of corporate fraud, white-collar crimes and other federal offenses. No federal taxpayer dollars go into it, and organizations awarded funds go through a rigorous application process under the program that is overseen and administered by the Department of Justice’s Office of Victims of Crime.
根据 VOCA 网站的资料，截至 2026 年 7 月，该基金的余额已超过 37 亿美元。这些资金包括来自联邦检察官办公室、联邦法院及联邦监狱局的“存款（也称为收入）”，这些存款来源于刑事罚款、被没收的保释金、罚款以及各种特别征收的费用。布伦南正义中心（Brennan Center for Justice）最近指出，“司法部（DOJ）对金融欺诈和腐败等白领犯罪的起诉数量减少”可能是导致该基金资金枯竭的原因之一；此外，对于那些确实被起诉的白领罪犯，司法部越来越多地选择推迟起诉或达成不起诉协议，这也对该基金的资金状况产生了负面影响。
According to the VOCA website, as of July 2026 the fund balance is more than $3.7 billion which it says includes “deposits (also known as receipts) from federal criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalties, and special assessments collected by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, federal courts, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.”The Brennan Center for Justice recently noted that “a trend of the DOJ prosecuting fewer white-collar crimes such as financial fraud and corruption” could be contributing to the depletion of the CVF. An increase in deferred prosecutions and non-prosecution agreements for white collar criminals the DOJ does pursue has also played a key role in the fund’s decline.
美国国家儿童联盟（National Children’s Alliance）表示，自 2018 年以来，该基金的资金减少了 70% 以上，这使得该联盟的数百个成员机构（包括许多致力于儿童权益保护的机构）不得不缩减服务规模或直接关闭。该联盟指出：“联邦受害者服务机构的资金来源仍然依赖于刑事处罚所得。”2024 年 12 月，五个州的这些机构负责人向《Mother Jones》杂志表示，由于资金削减，他们不得不裁员或让职位空缺，这不仅导致员工工作压力增大，也使得需要帮助的儿童等待服务的时间变得更长。
And the National Children’s Alliance says the CVF has been reduced by more than 70% since 2018 forcing many of its hundreds of members — including children’s advocacy centers — to either reduce services or close entirely, noting, “federal victim services funding remains dependent on criminal penalties.”Leaders of centers in five states told Mother Jones in December 2024 that the funding cuts were forcing them to cut staff or leave vacant positions empty, leading to burnout for staff and longer wait times for kids in need.
由于起诉数量减少或联邦预算削减，该基金的资金持续减少的问题其实一直存在，早在之前的政府执政时期就已经出现。在密歇根州，像 CARE House 这样的机构多年来一直警告称，资金不足将直接影响他们为受性虐待或忽视的儿童提供的服务。
Declining deposits into the fund — because of either fewer prosecutions or federal budget cuts — has been a consistent issue stretching back into previous administrations. In Michigan, organizations like CARE House, which provides services to children who may have been sexually abused or neglected, have been warning for years that depleted funds will directly affect how they serve their communities.
在向MS NOW发表的声明中，司法部发言人士没有回答有关犯罪受害者基金资金枯竭的问题，但否认特朗普政府任内起诉数量正在下降，并称：“所谓联邦起诉数量下降的说法完全错误。本届政府起诉的被告人数比上届政府同期多约5万人。”国会此前曾出手加强并保障对该基金的资金支持。
In a statement to MS NOW, a spokesperson for the Justice Department did not address questions about the depletion of the Crime Victims Fund but denied that prosecutions were declining under the Trump administration, saying, “The claim that federal prosecutions are down is simply wrong. This Administration has prosecuted approximately 50,000 more defendants than the same period under the previous Administration.”Congress has stepped in previously to bolster and protect funding to the CVF.
乔·拜登总统签署《2021年维持犯罪受害者基金修正法案》，使其正式成为法律。该法案为犯罪受害者基金开辟了新的收入来源，即根据联邦延期起诉协议和不起诉协议收取、并从美国财政部普通基金支付的罚款。
President Joe Biden signed into law the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021, which found a new revenue stream for the fund: penalties collected from federal deferred prosecution and nonprosecution agreements from the U.S. Treasury general fund.
去年，密歇根州民主党众议员黛比·丁格尔再次提出《犯罪受害者基金稳定化法案》，拟在2029年之前，将依据《虚假申报法》收取的资金暂时转入犯罪受害者基金。《虚假申报法》对欺骗政府的行为处以处罚。该法案在众议院得到了两党支持。
And last year, Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., re-introduced the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, designed to temporarily divert funds collected through the False Claims Act, which penalizes defrauding of the government, into the CVF through 2029. That bill had bipartisan support in the House.
这位密歇根州议员希望能够充实该基金。她当时表示：“国会必须确保犯罪受害者基金获得充足而稳定的资金，为受害者服务提供足够的人员和服务能力。看到这项重要法案在众议院获得通过，并朝成为法律又迈近一步，同时为未来数年巩固犯罪受害者基金，我深感自豪。”但自2026年1月提交参议院司法委员会以来，丁格尔的法案一直停滞不前。
The Michigan lawmaker was hopeful that the fund could be bolstered, saying at the time, “Congress must ensure that the CVF receives robust, stable funding that equips victim services with adequate staffing and capacity. I’m proud to see this significant legislation pass the House and move one step closer to becoming law and shoring up the CVF for years to come.”But Dingell’s legislation has been stuck since January 2026, when it reached the Senate Judiciary Committee.
在CARE House，工作人员一直联系当地社区筹款，但这家非营利组织表示，在经济下行期获得捐款并不容易。
At CARE House, the staff has been reaching out to the local community to fundraise, but the nonprofit says receiving donations is a challenge during an economic crunch.
“这笔资金的削减如此突然、幅度如此之大，让我非常担心：会有更多的孩子无法获得他们所需要的帮助，”CARE House的主席泰勒说道。“这些孩子将无法摆脱虐待的阴影，也无法获得应有的正义。”CARE House的员工都接受了专门培训，能够为那些需要与执法部门沟通的儿童提供帮助；机构内还配备了专门的面试室，这样年幼的受害者就无需再承受前往警局的痛苦。
“To have this funding cut so drastically, so fast, it makes me worry that there are just more kids out there that aren’t going to get the services they need,” said Tyler, CARE House’s president. “They aren’t going to be able to move through this abuse and aren’t going to get justice.”The CARE House staff is specifically trained to work with children who have to speak with law enforcement, and the facilities include interview rooms so young victims won’t have to endure the trauma of going to a police station.
去年，有近800名年龄在2至18岁之间的儿童在这些面试室里接受了法医调查，而执法部门及其他专业人士则通过单向玻璃观察整个过程。
Last year almost 800 children, age 2 to 18, sat in these rooms for forensic interviews while law enforcement and other professionals watched from behind the one-way glass.
“我们希望为他们提供一个安全的环境，让他们能够在这个环境中讲述自己的遭遇，从而减轻他们的心理创伤，”泰勒解释道。“我们致力于确保这些孩子及其家庭能够获得所需的帮助和支持。”
“We want to provide an opportunity for them to tell their story in a safe place that reduces trauma,” Tyler explained. “We want to make sure that kiddos and their families have the support and ongoing support that they need.”
“作为一名曾经遭受虐待的受害者，由于当时根本没有为受害者提供帮助的机构，我认为每个孩子都应该过上安全、稳定的生活，远离虐待的困扰，”她说道。“每一个孩子都应如此。”新的联邦财政年度今天正式开始了。一些致力于帮助犯罪受害者的非营利组织表示，他们的资金来源可能会中断。（MS NOW）
“As a victim of abuse myself, who didn’t have an advocacy center because they didn’t exist, I think that every child deserves to live a safe and stable life free from abuse,” she said. “Every single one.”The post A new federal funding year starts today. Some nonprofits supporting crime victims say their funding may stop. MS NOW