Trump administration pulls back on work combating human trafficking, long a top GOP priority

July 18, 2025

The Trump administration has significantly cut funding and staff dedicated to combating human trafficking, including a major reduction at the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) last Friday. These cuts have affected multiple federal agencies despite human trafficking being historically championed as a Republican priority, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Pam Bondi both having advocated strongly for anti-trafficking efforts. The administration's pullback has surprised many advocates who expected bipartisan support would protect these initiatives, especially given the prominence of anti-trafficking work during Trump's first term.

Who is affected

Staff members at the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP), approximately half of whom were dismissed and others demoted
Victims of human trafficking, including women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people disproportionately affected by sex trafficking
Victims of forced domestic labor, which disproportionately affects women and girls
Non-governmental organizations that rely on government grants to combat human trafficking
Foreign governments and populations in countries with U.S. trade agreements previously supported by anti-trafficking programs
Human trafficking survivors seeking visas who cooperate with law enforcement

What action is being taken

The State Department is implementing staffing cuts ("reduction-in-force") at the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
The Trump administration has paused the disbursement of grants for non-governmental organizations working on human trafficking
Visas for victims of human trafficking who cooperate with law enforcement are being issued at record-low levels
President Trump has authorized Attorney General Bondi to request grand jury testimony from Epstein's trial from a federal court
Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie are attempting to force a floor vote on releasing complete Epstein files through a discharge petition

Why it matters

The cuts threaten to undermine decades of bipartisan progress in combating human trafficking
The affected TIP office produces a critical annual global assessment of human trafficking prevention work that has now been delayed
The Labor Department ended nearly 70 programs and over $500 million in grant funding used to combat child labor and human trafficking in countries with U.S. trade agreements
The pullback contradicts the administration's previous strong stance on trafficking during Trump's first term when more funding was allocated
The cuts impact the U.S. government's ability to fulfill mandates under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which has had bipartisan support since 2000

What's next

Next week, high-profile Republicans are expected to gather at the Capitol for the annual International Summit Against Human Trafficking organized by the Conservative Political Action Conference
Freedom Network USA, a leading anti-trafficking group, is planning to hold a webinar on World Day Against Human Trafficking in Persons to discuss the Trump administration's impact on human trafficking survivors
Speaker Mike Johnson may face pressure regarding the discharge petition to release Epstein files, which Representative Khanna believes has sufficient support to move forward

Read full article from source: The 19th