Trump admin must restore AmeriCorps programs in 24 states, judge rules
Her ruling applied only to the Democratic-led states who sued in April to challenge what they said was an unlawful dismantling of AmeriCorps by Republican President Donald Trump's administration.
More: What is AmeriCorps? What to know about the latest organization impacted by DOGE cuts
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat who helped lead the litigation, in a statement said the ruling safeguards services communities rely on to educate students, preserve parks and care for the elderly from "unlawful and reckless cuts."
AmeriCorps did not respond to requests for comment.
A White House spokesperson in a statement said Trump "has the right to restore accountability to the entire executive branch, and this will not be the final say on the matter."
AmeriCorps' grants fund local and national organizations that offer community services related to education, disaster preparedness, conservation and more. It sends more than 200,000 volunteers out nationally as part of its programs.
The states sued after the administration terminated over 1,000 grants and placed 85% of AmeriCorps' staff on administrative leave with the intent to terminate them effective June 24 as part of a push by Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government.
The cuts impacted $396.5 million in federal funding for AmeriCorps programs and tens of thousands of volunteers nationally. The agency has a roughly $1 billion budget and had more than 500 employees when Trump took office.
Democratic state attorneys general argued Trump lacks the authority under the U.S. Constitution to gut AmeriCorps, which was created by Congress, and that the agency failed to follow proper procedures before altering program services.
Boardman, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, partially agreed, saying AmeriCorps failed to engage in notice-and-comment rulemaking before making major changes.
"Because the agency did not provide notice and an opportunity to comment before it made significant changes to service delivery, the States were unable to voice their concerns about these changes," she wrote.
But Boardman said the states lacked standing to block the mass job cuts, saying an anticipated delay in their grant applications being reviewed due to reduced staff was not sufficient grounds.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Report: Trump plans to save TikTok for a third time
Published: | Updated: President Donald Trump plans to save Tiktok from going dark for a third time. Ahead of a June 19 deadline, the president is expected to sign an executive order staving off enforcement of a law banning the app or forcing its sale, the Wall Street Journal reported. This would be the third extension since Trump took office on January 20th. The extension comes as Trump officials head to London for a Monday meeting with Chinese officials on a trade deal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will be meeting at the meeting. 'The meeting should go very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. He and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone Thursday as both sides try to repair a breakdown in trade negotiations. Earlier this year, the administration had been working on a deal for American investors to take ownership of the popular video app but that deal fell victim to Trump's trade war with China . So, on April 4th, Trump signed an executive order granting a 75-day extension allowing TikTok to operate in the U.S. 'My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress. The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days,' he announced on Truth Social at the time. Several American companies have expressed interest in having a stake in Tiktok, including Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Oracle. TikTok is one of the most powerful media sources in America today. It has 135.79 million users in America, making it the country with the biggest audience on the map. It also has grown to be one of the largest online shopping marketplaces with millions of dollars in daily sales. Congress passed the TikTok ban in 2024 with overwhelming bipartisan support demanding China lose its control of the popular video service. Lawmakers had national security concerns that an app used by so many Americans was controlled by China and feared the Chinese company that owns, ByteDance, could use it as a way to collect information on Americans. TikTok fought the ban all the way to the Supreme Court, calling it a violation of free speech rights, but the court upheld the law in early 2025. ByteDance didn't agree to terms with any US-based companies and went dark for a few hours on January 19th, the day before President Trump's inauguration. But Trump has fought to keep the social media site operational in the US. After his inauguration, he signed a delay in implementing the ban, then extended it again in April and is preparing for the third extension. Trump sees the app as a way to reach younger voter. He has indicated he'd like to come to a deal. 'We'll probably have to get China's approval. China's never easy,' he said last week. 'I'd like to save TikTok. I mean, TikTok was very good to me.'
Scottish Sun
17 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
What caused Trump & Elon Musk's explosive fallout? – from NASA spat to key role of Don's teen relative, I know the truth
The smart money was always on these two galactic-sized egos falling out HARRY COLE What caused Trump & Elon Musk's explosive fallout? – from NASA spat to key role of Don's teen relative, I know the truth THE richest man in the world going toe-to-toe with the most powerful man on the planet . . . what could possibly go wrong? And has the most outlandish politician in American history finally met his match? Advertisement 7 Elon Musk, left, looks down on Donald Trump during a White House press conference Credit: AP 7 Musk toured the swing states at last year's election telling the world that Trump was the greatest thing since sliced bread Credit: AFP 7 Trump was considering selling his own Tesla, which has spent weeks parked outside the Oval Office Credit: AP From the moment neuro-diverse rocket man Elon Musk backed New York real estate heavy Donald J. Trump to return to the White House, the smart money was on these two galactic-sized egos falling out. I hear it's the galaxy and beyond that has been at the centre of their tensions, but more on that later — as last night Washington was awash with claims Musk's attempts to befriend Kai Trump, the 18-year-old future golf star granddaughter of the President, also played a hefty part in the atomic row. 'Bankrupting America is not OK – kill the bill' But the powerful pair certainly have fallen out, trading public blows on their social media sites of choice — the very tech platforms that have both made them and could yet see them crash to back down to earth. Asked if they could reconcile yesterday, Trump slammed Musk as 'the man who has lost his mind'. Advertisement In the end, the most famous bromance in political history lasted less than a year, and the fallout risks dragging them both down. Musk claims credit for his $300million in donations swinging the election Trump's way, while the White House says that's fake news and the car salesman is sulking because he's not getting much bang for his buck. The pair clashed publicly over Trump's so-called 'Big Beautiful Bill' — legislation that he says will deliver a slew of campaign promises like banning taxes on tips for millions of American workers. 7 Trump was tiring of Elon's 'ketamine-fuelled' antics Credit: AFP Advertisement 7 Richest man in the world Musk is going toe-to-toe with the most powerful man on the planet Credit: AFP But Musk — appointed to the administration to cut eye-watering federal expenditure — baulked at the increase in government spending tacked on to the law by Congress, branding it an 'abomination'. He irked Trump by urging senators to vote it down, adding it could be 'big or beautiful but it cannot be both'. Musk raged on social media: 'This spending bill contains the largest increase in the debt ceiling in US history! It is the Debt Slavery Bill… Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.' Advertisement Trump crushes hopes of 'peace talks' call with Musk as he insists Elon has 'lost his mind' after feud went nuclear It's a long cry from when Musk toured the swing states at last year's election telling the world that Trump was the greatest thing since sliced bread and organising well-oiled get-out-the-vote operations. But behind the scenes I'm told Trump was already at the end of his tether with Musk who some sources accuse of 'gurning away' on the campaign trail and in meetings. Brought in to help slash costs through his Department of Government Efficiency, tensions reached a head after the New York Times ran a well-sourced hit piece accusing Musk of enjoying recreational drugs such as ketamine and ecstasy throughout his brief foray into politics. Those claims were not denied when Musk was confronted by Fox News in an Oval Office press conference last week. Advertisement Musk's coterie of love-children and his stated desire to help repopulate the planet with, what his former lovers have claimed, he calls genius offspring have also rubbed Trump up the wrong way. Teetotal Trump wanted rid of him but also wanted to give his big donor a decent goodbye, so lavished praise on him after he departed as special government employee last week. Yet despite all the niceties, the former allies are locked in a Cold War stand-off this weekend. 7 Devout Trump-backer Steve Bannon called for South African-born Musk to be deported Credit: The Mega Agency Advertisement Will they both retreat to their bunkers and realise mutually assured destruction is in neither of their interests, OR will they be unable to help themselves and launch a thermonuclear blow-out that burns them both up? Musk came close to that on Friday night, with his outlandish allegations that the President was sitting on files about billionaire deceased paedo-financier Jeffrey Epstein — because Trump himself is named as a murky connection. White House sources say that is nonsense and were that bombshell evidence to be sitting in a government file somewhere, surely previous Democrat governments would have leaked it by now. Musk ended his online diatribe with calls for Trump to be impeached, adding a menacing suggestion he could back the Democrats. Advertisement It's a mess, but one that was very obviously cooking Harry Cole Yet even some of his closest allies and supporters were left begging any friend possible to strip Musk of access to his own X platform before he caused any more damage. It's a dangerous game for the mercurial billionaire to play — because the President hit back that he was going to suspend US subsidies and government contracts for the entrepreneurs' many, many firms. Musk's electric car firm Tesla shares were down 14 per cent yesterday — the biggest one-day drop since the company went public, wiping $152billion off its value. And that's before the $3billion personal hit to Musk on the back of an evening of lively tweeting. Advertisement In a further snub, Trump was last night considering selling his own Tesla which has spent weeks parked outside the Oval Office, in a move which could spark a wave of similar fire sales across the US amongst his fans. 'Musk is an illegal alien and should be deported' The Tesla Cybertruck gifted to the President's granddaughter Kai is presumably for the chop too. Meanwhile, the row threatens to spark a wider war between various right-wing camps that run Washington, with implications felt in Congress and across the political spectrum. Devout Trump-backer Steve Bannon called for South African-born Musk to be deported from the US, saying yesterday: 'They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien and should be deported from the country immediately.' Advertisement 7 Twitter exchanges between the pair Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed autistic automaker said he could launch a new political party — an idea backed by 80 per cent of the millions of respondents to his social media poll yesterday. But this wasn't just a political knife-fight but also a brawl in the casino of capitalism. In short, it's a mess, but one that was very obviously cooking. Musk is a libertarian, free-marketeer who has his sights on the moon and Mars and beyond. Advertisement Trump is the tariff-loving protectionist who believes it's America First and everyone else can fall in line behind that. Prior to SpaceX, they couldn't even transport their own astronauts to the International Space Station and had to rely on outdated Russian rockets Dr Rainer Zitelmann Add to that their tensions on China that Trump sees as an existential threat to the US, while Musk views it as an opportunity to produce his electric cars on the cheap. It's amazing that things took so long to come to a head. And then it came down to space, where Musk obviously has a major financial interest as the boss of SpaceX — the rocket firm hat has all but colonised America's space projects. Advertisement As top economist Dr Rainer Zitelmann puts it: 'Without SpaceX, the US does not currently have much to offer. "Prior to SpaceX, they couldn't even transport their own astronauts to the International Space Station and had to rely on outdated Russian rockets — and paid exorbitant prices to do so. 'SpaceX is responsible for 86 per cent of all US launches.' But things were coming to a head when Trump blocked a Musk ally to take over Nasa last month, infuriating his former 'First Buddy'. Advertisement Moment of maximum danger Insiders say Musk's attempts to take over Nasa were a step too far that left America's future security beholden to a private company run by a wildly unpredictable boss. Sources claimed Musk recently had his high-level security clearances revoked by the White House as tensions mounted, leading to Friday's pyrotechnics. What happens next is a moment of maximum danger for Trump. Brits will be familiar with what happens when a leader and their dangerous right-hand man fall out. Advertisement Boris Johnson found out the hard way that if the snubbed guru bears enough of a grudge, it is fatal. The White House will be hoping this weekend that Elon holds less resentment than equally unstable Dominic Cummings — who spent the year after his No10 ousting doing all he could to unseat and destabilise his former boss. I wonder whether that might be a bit of wishful thinking . . .
NBC News
30 minutes ago
- NBC News
Democrats who called on Andrew Cuomo to resign in 2021 are endorsing him in 2025
Four years ago, a chorus of fellow New York Democrats called on then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign amid sexual harassment allegations, saying he was not fit to lead the state. Now, a growing group of them are endorsing him for mayor of New York City. On Friday, progressive state Sen. Jessica Ramos became the latest former Cuomo critic to endorse his bid, following at least three members of Congress and additional local politicians who are lining up behind Cuomo for mayor despite once calling on the then-governor to resign. It's an arc reminiscent of of the Republican Party's turnaround on President Donald Trump between the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and his 2024 presidential comeback, which saw many Republican critics from 2021 fall in line. "Voters are doing for themselves in New York in many ways what Trump voters did during the presidential election, they are overlooking the allegations and the importance of the #MeToo Movement because what they want for their constituents or themselves is more immediately important," said Basil Smikle, a New York Democratic strategist who previously served as the executive director of the state Democratic Party and ran Ray McGuire's 2021 mayoral campaign. "You can determine whether or not this is justifiable or reasonable or in line with what it means to be a public servant," Smikle continued. "But you have someone with allegations against him, allegations made by a very credible individual in [state] Attorney General Tish James, and a lot of people are saying: 'That isn't as important to me as what this person could deliver for my constituents today.'" In a story published on Friday, Ramos told The New York Times that Cuomo is "the one best positioned right now to protect this city" as Trump is "threatening to bulldoze New York." It's a stunning reversal from Ramos' criticism of Cuomo from just weeks prior, when she told the New York Post that Cuomo's "mental acuity is in decline," comparing him derisively to former President Joe Biden. In 2021, after Cuomo's resignation amid sexual harassment allegations, Ramos posted on social media that "New Yorkers deserve better than a man who has played politics with our lives for a decade & couldn't see beyond his ego." Asked about the change of heart Friday, Ramos told reporters that her endorsement "is not about forgiveness or about forgetting anything. This is a very sober take about where we are in this race and the type of leadership that is required at a time when I need workers and I need immigrants protected. I am not going to vacillate at the type of leadership that we need at such a critical juncture for our city." She's not the only New York Democrat to back Cuomo after a previous call to resign. Democratic Reps. Ritchie Torres, Gregory Meeks and Adriano Espaillat all signed onto joint statements in 2021 that called on Cuomo to resign; now, all of them have endorsed Cuomo's mayoral bid. It's the same story for at least five state or local politicians now in Cuomo's corner after calling on him to resign. Representatives for all three members of Congress did not reply to requests for comment. Cuomo's 2021 resignation was a stunning turn of events for the governor, whose prominent role in the state's pandemic recovery made him a darling of many in the Democratic Party. Making the decision after an investigation by the state attorney general found he sexually harassed almost a dozen women, including his own employees, and broke laws, Cuomo said that he never would 'intentionally disrespect a woman' but did acknowledge he 'made mistakes.' He's since fought some of the allegation s in court and more recently, he told The New York Times that 'if i had to do it again, I wouldn't have resigned." Like Ramos, many of these endorsements specifically point to the former governor's past experience, his record of leadership and what the endorsers say is a need at this specific moment for the city. In Espaillat's endorsement of Cuomo, he specifically says that there's "so much at stake for the city of New York" right now and the city needs 'a strong and proven leader who will work to bring solutions to the most pressing issues facing New York City," before coming to the conclusion that "Cuomo is the clear choice." Torres' endorsement touts a similar note, pointing to his "competence and courage," noting that Cuomo "has the courage to stand up to extremist politics — both from the far left and the far right." Some voters who want to give Cuomo another shot agree. Carmen Perez, a 55-year-old city resident who spoke to NBC News earlier this month about her vote, said that she'd give Cuomo a second chance because "I've seen what Cuomo can do." "During the pandemic, he literally took over and said: This is how we're going to do, this is how we're going to get through this," she said. "If we're in a crisis, he's the guy." The politics of it all, and the unique dynamics of the mayoral race, loom large over the decisions by key New York City Democrats to line up behind a candidate. While Cuomo is seen as the front-runner in the Democratic primary, anti-Cuomo Democrats and candidates have been looking to strengthen the coalition against him by encouraging people not to rank Cuomo in any of their slots on the June ranked-choice ballot. Under this system, voters select their top five choices, in order, and votes cast for the lowest finishing candidates are redistributed to subsequent choices during multiple ballots until someone wins a majority. Also this week, progressive New York City Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed Cuomo's top opponent, progressive state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, while also noting she would rank other candidates, and not Cuomo, to fill out the five slots on the ballot. For Democrats who believe Mamdani may be too liberal, or worry that he might not fare as well against current Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent now that many Democrats have turned on him after Trump's Justice Department stopped prosecuting him for corruption, Cuomo might seem like the best option. "With Eric Adams now out of the primary, it's only Andrew Cuomo who stands in the way of progressives taking power, and that's bolstered his candidacy," Smikle said.
