WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) — member of the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Subcommittee — filed amendments to Congressional Republicans’ fiscal year 2027 funding bill to reinstate funding to prevent gun violence, support law enforcement, and protect the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.
After the FY26 funding bill cut $200 million from for Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIP) programs, Congresswoman Dean introduced an amendment to restore this critical support in FY27. CVIP programs give states and local law enforcement the resources and freedom to address crime at the local level. In Pennsylvania, CVIP programs have helped decrease gun homicides by 46% since their 2022 peak. Governor Shapiro is leading efforts statewide to address the program deficits due to federal cuts.
Additionally, Congresswoman Dean also introduced an amendment to reestablish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms’ Demand 2 program. The Demand 2 program helps law enforcement trace guns used in crimes by imposing additional reporting requirements on firearms dealers whose guns have been traced to criminal activity. In 2025, the program was shuttered and dealers who qualify no longer needed to report information on used guns they have purchased to ATF hampering law enforcement efforts to reduce gun violence and gun trafficking investigations. Without Demand 2, more than 100,000 guns annually would not have been traceable.
“Our obligation as the Appropriations Committee is to ensure our congressional funding upholds justice, democracy, and the rule of law. The FY27 funding bill proposed by my Republican colleagues not only weakens gun violence prevention programs — intervention that we know works — it also guts funding for law enforcement,” Rep. Dean said. “My amendments would ensure that communities have the resources they need to keep residents safe.”
Finally, Congresswoman Dean filed an amendment to protect the identities of survivors and victims of Jeffery Epstein. The passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act mandated the Department of Justice to publish all unclassified materials related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The public deserves to know this information, yet House Appropriation Committee members are concerned that the DOJ has not fully removed or redacted survivor and victim personally identifiable information (“PII”) from the publicly released documents. This amendment would require the DOJ to remove all PII within 30 days of enactment.
“The safety ensured by these amendments extend to the survivors of years of grotesque sexual abuse committed and orchestrated by Jeffrey Epstein. I cannot begin to grasp the pain, stress, and anger that comes with the DOJ carelessly forcing survivors to relive their trauma publicly on their website,” Rep. Dean said. “This amendment has been drafted for survivors, with their input, and has their support. It does not even begin to make amends for the harm caused by that, but getting their information off the DOJ’s website is step one.”
Read the full text of Congresswoman Dean’s amendments here.
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
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