Why It Matters

Jewish Women International filed an LDA termination on April 30, 2026, ending the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit's in-house federal lobbying registration after roughly two and a half years of advocacy centered on the intersection of domestic violence and gun policy.

Because JWI conducted its lobbying entirely in-house, the Q2 2026 LDA filing termination doesn't affect an outside lobbying firm's revenue. Rachel Graber, the organization's sole registered lobbyist, handled all federal advocacy directly on JWI's behalf. The Jewish Women International lobbying operation was modest in scale — $10,000 per quarter is at the floor of what the Lobbying Disclosure Act requires organizations to report. But the consistency of those filings across ten consecutive quarters reflects a sustained, deliberate federal engagement effort, not a casual one.

The disclosure filing termination stands alone, with no new registrations filed by outside firms on JWI's behalf as of the time of this writing.

Broader Context

What JWI Was Lobbying On

JWI's federal advocacy focused on a specific and well-defined set of issues. Across its 2023 through early 2026 filings, Graber lobbied on:

  • Firearms and domestic violence: Supporting legislation to prohibit respondents to final dating violence protective orders from possessing firearms, and supporting victim notification when a domestic abuser fails a firearms background check
  • Opposing H.R.38: The Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025, which would require states to recognize concealed carry permits issued by other states
  • The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act: Legislation to shore up deposits into the Crime Victims Fund, which finances services for crime victims nationwide
  • The Office on Violence Against Women: Opposing efforts to merge OVW with other Department of Justice grantmaking components
  • Faith communities: Educating congressional staff on the needs of faith communities dealing with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, signed into law in June 2022, had already addressed one of JWI's central asks — closing the "boyfriend loophole" by extending federal firearms restrictions to individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors against dating partners, not just spouses. JWI spent much of its subsequent lobbying focused on implementation of that law, including urging the Department of Justice to issue guidance on the dating violence provisions and submitting comments on related ATF rulemaking.

The Political Environment Shifted

The Trump administration has moved in the opposite direction from JWI's policy priorities on nearly every front the organization was engaged on.

In June 2025, the administration proposed making it easier for domestic abusers to have their gun rights restored, drawing criticism from House members who argued the proposal would come "at the expense of a woman's right to live free of violence." The Justice Department also moved to roll back a slate of gun regulations, with reports indicating plans to undo as many as 50 ATF rules. And on the same day JWI filed its lobbying registration termination — April 30, 2026 — the Trump administration reinstated the gun show loophole, rolling back background check requirements that had been in place.

The Crime Victims Fund, another JWI priority, has faced pressure from broader federal budget and grant program restructuring. JWI had also been actively opposing the potential merger of the Office on Violence Against Women into other DOJ components, a consolidation that aligned with the administration's broader effort to restructure federal grant-making.

On the legal front, JWI had previously filed an amicus brief in United States v. Rahimi, the Supreme Court case testing whether the federal government could prohibit domestic abusers subject to protective orders from possessing firearms. The Court ruled 8-1 in June 2024 to uphold the restriction — a win for JWI's position, and one that removed an active litigation threat to the legal framework the organization had been defending.

Legislative Activity

The legislation JWI was most actively pushing — a bill to prohibit respondents to final dating violence protective orders from possessing firearms — did not advance. JWI provided technical feedback on the bill, briefed congressional staff, and submitted opposition letters on related measures, but the bill did not move through committee during the period JWI was registered.

H.R.38, the concealed carry reciprocity bill JWI consistently opposed, was introduced in the 119th Congress. JWI submitted a formal opposition letter to the House Judiciary Committee in early 2025.

The Bottom Line

The Jewish Women International lobbying effort was built around a narrow, coherent agenda tied to specific legislative and regulatory asks. Several of those asks — BSCA passage, the Rahimi ruling — were resolved before the termination. Others, including the dating violence protective order firearms bill and the Crime Victims Fund legislation, did not advance. And the broader regulatory environment JWI was trying to shape has moved in the opposite direction under the current administration.

JWI continues to operate as a nonprofit and maintains an active policy and advocacy presence outside of formal federal lobbying registration. Its financials page notes a four-star Charity Navigator rating, and the organization has historically engaged in coalition work, amicus brief filings, and public education alongside its registered lobbying activity.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.