After Murray Defeated Trump Efforts to Defund Legal Aid, Murray Meets with Northwest Justice Project in Seattle to Highlight a Lifeline for Workers, Veterans, Survivors, and More

Last year Trump fought to defund the Legal Services Corporation entirely, House Republicans fought to cut the program nearly by half; Murray protected nearly all of the funding in the bills she negotiated that Trump signed into law Just last week, House Republicans passed a bill out of committee to cut funding for LSC by more than half and President Trump’s budget once again calls to defund the program entirely; As Murray gears up to once again protect LSC funding she will hear from Northwest Justice Project clients and lawyers about the important nonpartisan work this funding supports Civil legal aid also has a dramatic return on investment ; every dollar spent on legal aid generates an average of seven dollars in economic benefits. ICYMI : Murray Secures $540 million for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) ***PHOTOS AND B-ROLL HERE *** Seattle, WA — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion with lawyers whose work is supported by Legal Services Corporation (LSC) grants and client storytellers who have benefitted from that work. Senator Murray was joined by Abigail Daquiz, Executive Director, Northwest Justice Project (NJP); Karla Carlisle, Managing Attorney, NJP Tri-Cities and Walla Walla Offices; Christy, Client; Jennifer Budinick, NJP Attorney, Veterans Unit; Alan Myers, Client; David Tarshes, former NJP Attorney; Anita Belcher, Client; and Will Gunn; Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel for LSC. “In this country—our courts and laws are meant to be a great equalizer, but we can only live up to that promise of equality when cost is not a barrier to justice,” said Senator Murray. “The funding from the Legal Services Corporation helps organizations like Northwest Justice Project keep that promise and live up to the values that make America great, helping tens of thousands of people every year. The Northwest Justice Project is a lifeline for farmworkers being denied fair pay, domestic violence victims trying to protect themselves and their families, seniors facing an unfair eviction, and so much more. President Trump already tried to completely defund federal legal aid last year—I stopped him. Trump wants to defund legal aid again and House Republicans are pushing to cut existing funding by more than half—that’s simply not going to happen on my watch. I’ll be ripping up Trump’s budget and writing a new one, one that invests in legal aid and protects this absolutely essential lifeline for working people.” In FY26, Senator Murray protected $540 million for LSC and rejected President Trump’s proposal to completely defund the largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans. Murray also beat back efforts by House Republicans to cut LSC funding by nearly half and made sure the FY26 appropriations bill included a provision to permit LSC recipients to operate with boards of directors that include more fiscal experts and community representatives—something Senator Murray has long advocated for. This change allowed LSC grantees to diversify their boards to include those with accounting, fundraising, and other kinds of expertise. Just last week, House Republicans passed a bill out of committee that would cut LSC funding by more than half. LSC provides funding and support to legal aid organizations across the country to ensure Americans have the critical legal support they need to protect their families, advocate for veterans, prevent homelessness, and access their benefits. The primary responsibility of LSC is to manage and oversee the congressionally appropriated federal funds that it distributes in the form of grants to local legal services providers, which in turn give legal assistance to low-income clients in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. LSC grantees have served over 6.4 million people, including 1.9 million who resolved housing, family, or other life-changing legal problems, and more than 30 million individuals used grantees’ online legal tools, websites, and self-help resources to navigate legal issues. Civil legal aid also has a dramatic return on investment ; every dollar spent on legal aid generates an average of seven dollars in economic benefits. “Federal funding for civil legal aid is the foundation for our ability to serve our communities—to ensure that a mom facing eviction has someone in their corner, that veterans who have served in this country can access the benefits they have earned, and ensures that safety is possible for survivors of domestic violence. Northwest Justice Project is the LSC grantee in Washington State and we take that responsibility very seriously, making sure that this investment is effectively used to serve our community. Thank you, Sen. Murray for being a champion for civil legal aid funding—so we can continue to show up for our clients,” said Abigail Daquiz, Executive Director, Northwest Justice Project. “My attorney managed the chaos of my divorce, the connection for legal help with the protection order, and navigated the hurdles of coerced debt and terrible credit that my marriage had left me with, causing housing burdens… I am here today to say thank you. Thank you for giving me my life back. Because of NJP, I am not just a survivor; I am a mother with a home, a future, and a fresh start,” said Christy, a NJP client who with her two young children had fled an abusive partner. “After more than a year of diligent work, NJP did what I couldn’t do alone. I was awarded a 50% disability rating. These weren’t ‘handouts’—they were the benefits I had earned over decades of service,” said Alan Myers, a NJP client, and a veteran who had served for 25 years and sustained service-related disabilities, including partial blindness, hearing loss, and spinal fracture. Yet he was told by the Veterans Administration that he would not qualify for benefits. “If NJP needs anything, I will be there to help. It still blows my mind that I was able to be represented by great attorneys and actually get a favorable outcome. It was amazing. Truly amazing,” said Anita Belcher, a NJP client whose paycheck was suddenly garnished by 50% without notice. NJP is Washington’s largest publicly funded legal aid program and provides legal representation to tens of thousands of low-income Washingtonians each year for critical legal matters including family safety, housing rights, wage theft, access to healthcare, education, and more. NJP is the sole LSC grantee in Washington state. LSC provided about $11 million to NJP in FY25, which was 18% of their total annual budget. They also received about $2 million in other federal funding, meaning 21% of their total budget in 2025 was from the federal government. Over one million people visit their website, washingtonlawhelp.org , to access free legal resources annually. Across Washington state, they have 20 physical offices and about 340 staff, including nearly 200 attorneys. In 2025, NJP direct legal services benefited 31,206 Washington residents, including more than 800 veterans, 2,929 older Americans, and thousands of domestic violence survivors. However, in Washington close to one million residents qualified for assistance. Services provided include a toll-free referral and intake hotline called CLEAR (Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral) that lets clients ask questions and get advice over the phone, the Washington Law Help public website that hosts free legal resources and self-help materials, and they coordinate volunteer attorney programs to ensure equal justice for people unable to afford an attorney. In addition to 20 offices statewide, specialized units serve farmworkers, Native Americans, veterans, and provide eviction and foreclosure defense. ###