Latest news with #AmeriCorps'
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Judge halts Trump's cuts to AmeriCorps, preserving aid for California and 23 other states
A federal judge's ruling halting President Donald Trump's dismantling of AmeriCorps, which sends thousands of volunteers to programs aiding the poor, elderly and disabled and assists communities in disaster protection and recovery, is a victory for 24 states that challenged Trump's order. And particularly for California. Last year more than 6,150 AmeriCorps workers served at 1,200 locations in California, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics and veterans' facilities, spending more than $133 million in federally funded aid, Attorney General Rob Bonta said Thursday after the court ruling. 'AmeriCorps volunteers represent the best parts of America,' Bonta said. 'Today's decision ensures this vital service work that brings volunteers directly into California communities will continue while we make our case in court.' 'Common sense has prevailed over cruelty,' said Gov. Gavin Newsom. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman of Maryland did not declare Trump's cutbacks illegal, an issue she will address at later stages of the case. But she said the administration had violated legal standards by slashing the agency without providing advance notice and seeking and considering comments from the states affected by his actions. 'The sudden mass grant termination, without any prior notice, has forced many of the states to scramble to fill gaps in services, to deal with the fallout of the mass exiting of (AmeriCorps) members, and to close out the grants they administer,' said Boardman, who was appointed by President Joe Biden. She said AmeriCorps' interim director, Jennifer Bastress Tahmasebi, consulted with Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency — but not with state officials or others affected by the programs — before issuing orders April 16 that suspended 85% of the agency's staff. The former total of 729 employees has now been reduced to 116, Boardman said, and one sole employee is responsible for processing nearly 30,000 educational grant awards to program volunteers. Ten days later, the judge said, AmeriCorps cut off more than 1,000 grants for state and local programs, ordered the programs closed, and forced the departures of about 30,000 volunteers. Its only explanation was that the grants 'no longer effectuate agency priorities.' Those programs 'provide critical, sometimes life-saving assistance to their communities,' Boardman said. One program she cited was California's GrizzlyCorps, which sends recent college graduates into rural communities to promote food resilience and wildfire and forest protection. AmeriCorps also includes Volunteers in Service to America, or VISTA, whose workers are sent to low-income communities. Another program, the National Civilian Community Corps, employs young adults for projects that include disaster relief and trail maintenance. AmeriCorps Seniors provides services for older Americans. If the Trump administration ultimately prevails in the case by showing that its actions were authorized, Boardman wrote, the funding required by her ruling will nevertheless 'have been spent on improving the lives of everyday Americans: veterans, people with substance use disorder, people with disabilities, children with learning differences, indigenous communities, people impacted by natural disasters, and people trying to survive below the poverty line.'
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
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.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump administration must restore AmeriCorps programs in 24 states, judge rules
Trump administration must restore AmeriCorps programs in 24 states, judge rules The judge's ruling applied only to Democratic-led states who sued in April to challenge what they said was Trump's unlawful dismantling of AmeriCorps. Show Caption Hide Caption Fired USAID employees applauded leaving DC office for last time Demonstrators outside the USAID offices in Washington, D.C., broke into applause as fired employees returned to pick up their belongings. June 5 (Reuters) - A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on June 5 to restore programs funded by AmeriCorps grants in 24 Democratic-led states but declined to bar the federal agency for national service and volunteering from cutting the bulk of its workforce. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Baltimore issued an injunction requiring the administration to reinstate millions of dollars in grants in those states and the District of Columbia and ordered the administration to restore thousands of volunteer service workers the administration had sent home. 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.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Addressing critical needs': AmeriCorps' future, backpack project in jeopardy after 'abrupt and unforeseen' cuts
Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts. Since its inception 12 years ago, the Cambria County Backpack Project has partnered with AmeriCorps to meet the mission of serving food-insecure children throughout the area, Executive Director Kristen Villarrial said. An AmeriCorps member from the local Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps served as the nonprofit's coordinator for years. When funding was secured for a permanent position, the county food program immediately partnered with the service organization again for continued assistance. 'AmeriCorps has been really a crucial part of the backpack project,' Villarrial said. Federal Fallout logo Despite three decades of assistance throughout the nation, AmeriCorps' future is in jeopardy since President Donald Trump's administration, through the Department of Government Efficiency, eliminated this year's contracts at the end of April. 'It was an abrupt and unforeseen mid-award termination of the PA Mountain Service Corps AmeriCorps grant,' PMSC AmeriCorps Program Director Jill Latuch said. 'We are hopeful that the courts will intervene; Pennsylvania, along with many other states, has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction. 'We appreciate our AmeriCorps members and community host sites for their dedication during these challenging times. Our PMSC members have been addressing critical needs within our communities for 30 years.' She said the regional group has 77 members serving 47 schools, 10 community wellness sites and 20 environmental stewardship locations. Villarrial said without AmeriCorps' help, the backpack project likely wouldn't exist. AmeriCorps members, who receive a 'modest stipend' for their service, join groups in hour-based roles to help in a variety of areas – such as education, disaster, and environmental sites. More than 200,000 members served in those areas throughout the country in 2025, according to the federally-funded organization. There are 56 community host sites that are affected by the termination of PMSC this program year. Additionally, there were 12 more members scheduled to start May 23 and serve throughout the summer. At this time, the local chapter will not be onboarding them, Latuch said. 'Sudden termination' According to a statement from America's Service Commission, the 'sudden termination' may 'shutter more than 1,000 programs and prematurely end the service of over 32,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers.' 'Terminating nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants with no advanced notice is already having a detrimental impact on the vast network that makes up the national service field in the United States,' ASC CEO Kaira Esgate said in the statement. 'Thousands of people who have steadfastly dedicated their lives to serving their country through AmeriCorps are finding their livelihoods suddenly thrown into jeopardy, and hundreds of communities are losing critical services they rely on.' Villarrial said she and her team are 'shocked, worried (and) frustrated' by the situation. 'We've been able to empower these members to serve these communities while addressing undeserved (populations),' she said. 'To be honest, we don't know how we'll be able to replace the position if AmeriCorps funding isn't available, or AmeriCorps isn't there anymore.' One potential silver lining is it seems the members are allowed to serve out their terms for now, Villarrial noted. The backpack project serves 700 youth weekly with a team of three that includes AmeriCorps member Senda Harvey, and numerous volunteers. 'Continuation of my service' During the 2023-24 term, the group distributed nearly 87,000 meals to families in almost every school district in Cambria County. Last year, the nonprofit opened a second packing and distribution site in Ebensburg Borough to make access easier for those in the county's northern area. AmeriCorps service Cambria County Backpack Project volunteer Amanda Regala (left) takes a collapsed box from AmeriCorps member and northern site Coordinator Senda Harvey during a distribution event Thursday, May 8, 2025. That location is run by Harvey, who is in her first term with AmeriCorps, and said she adores the position. 'This project I'm in right now with AmeriCorps is my heart,' she said. The Ohio native moved to the Johnstown area three years ago while working for Department of Veterans Affairs and seeking to help a family member. A U.S. Army veteran of 10 years and former teacher, she said she's always wanted to be a service person, and when she retired from the VA joining AmeriCorps made perfect sense. 'To me, this is just a continuation of my service to the community,' Harvey said. Finding out the future of the program is in jeopardy was 'very disheartening,' Harvey said, but she's still hopeful the situation will be resolved positively for the project. 'In my core, I believe we will be OK,' she said. 'If there's another term, I want to continue serving with AmeriCorps and the backpack project.' 'Initiatives in jeopardy' One potential route for reinstating the program is the multi-state lawsuit. 'AmeriCorps members serve their fellow Pennsylvanians every day – and the federal government entered into a contract with our commonwealth to hire them for disaster response, veterans services, tutoring for kids, and more,' Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote in a May 1 Facebook post. 'By dismantling AmeriCorps, the Trump Administration is breaking that contract and putting those critical initiatives in jeopardy. 'I'm suing to hold them to their word and defend Pennsylvania's rights – and stand up for our seniors, veterans, and students.' The lawsuit alleges that 'the administration does not have unilateral power to cut or end the AmeriCorps grants and service programs and that doing so would unlawfully deprive communities of critical services and opportunities provided through AmeriCorps, including education access, housing support, and youth mentorship,' according to Democracy Forward – one group that represents the plaintiffs. AmeriCorps' roots can be traced from the Civilian Conservation Corps to the VISTA program and the Commission on National and Community Service. 'Hardest pill to swallow' In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the National Community Service Trust Act that officially created AmeriCorps – to combine 'the concepts of volunteerism, civilian service, and education benefits for service' and built on former President George H.W. Bush's commission on service. The Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps was organized the following year to serve Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Elk, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset and Westmoreland counties with Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 as the administering agency. 'Since its inception, there have been hundreds of students tutored in math and reading, thousands of seniors and families provided with services that would have otherwise gone undone, hundreds of after school and educational activities presented to at-risk youths, hundreds of miles of water tested and cleaned up, thousands of volunteer hours generated and a unique collaborative effort of community organizations formed,' according to PMSC information. Villarrial said if AmeriCorps can no longer serve the backpack project, the board of directors will have to develop a contingency plan, which is already being discussed. That may include hiring another coordinator. That outcome would negatively impact the group's finances and possibly result in fewer children being served, she said. 'That's the hardest pill to swallow,' Villarrial said. 'The hardest hit are the ones who need it.' Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5054. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.
San Francisco Chronicle
09-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Have California Republicans finally found their spines on Trump?
Like many California Republicans, Rep. Kevin Kiley has gone out of his way to show he's not just on board with President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's priorities — he's eager to help make them happen. Since Trump's election, Kiley, of Rocklin (Placer County), has introduced bills to eliminate funding for California's high-speed rail, to allow law enforcement officers to ignore the state's sanctuary law and to reverse its law to phase out gas-powered cars. He even introduced a measure to reform Federal Aviation Administration bureaucracy that he made clear would benefit Musk's SpaceX. So, it was a surprise to see a far more measured statement from Kiley on Friday asking his House colleagues to 'provide robust funding for AmeriCorps' in the upcoming budget. It was a gentle way of acknowledging the obvious: Trump's cuts are hurting his constituents. Musk's Department of Government Efficiency recently cut $400 million from AmeriCorps, the national volunteer program that connects young adults to volunteer opportunities in poor neighborhoods. Kiley, a veteran of AmeriCorps' Teach for America program, did not directly mention Musk, Trump or the cuts in his plea. But he gave a nod to DOGE's purported mission by touting the programs as 'proven, cost-effective solutions to longstanding workforce challenges.' Kiley isn't the only California Republican who is beginning to speak out as popular programs and agencies are unceremoniously gutted. Some state lawmakers this week joined Democrats in defending programs that have been gutted. More than a dozen Republicans in the state Legislature signed onto a letter pleading with their congressional colleagues to preserve funding for Head Start, which provides free early learning and support services across the state, which they called 'foundational to our state's early childhood education, home visiting, and family support infrastructure.' About two-thirds of the state Legislature signed on while doing something exceedingly rare under Trump — it stated that the bipartisan group is 'deeply aligned' on the 'shared goals of advancing opportunity, equity, and economic resilience.' (Nobody tell the Republicans who signed the letter that they just put to paper their commitment to the 'E' in DEI.) Meanwhile, a separate discussion in the state Assembly this week further exemplified the tightrope Republicans are walking as they take pains to avoid disparaging Trump — even as they oppose his efforts. Lawmakers were discussing a resolution calling on Trump to honor his commitments to wildfire mitigation projects and urging him to veto any legislation that would defund the U.S. Forest Service. It's a symbolic gesture that doesn't include any action or spending. Still, Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher scolded Democrats for their 'rhetoric' regarding the president even as he admitted he supported the measure. Another Republican, Assembly Member Carl DeMaio, likened Democrats criticizing Trump to 'the devil complaining about sin.' Yet he, too, voted for the resolution. It passed unanimously. None of these actions by Republicans were particularly courageous; they all involved wildly popular programs. Head Start is supported by a whopping 74% of Trump voters, according to a recent survey. And California Republicans, unlike their colleagues in red states, have to navigate their allegiance to Trump while representing a state where he is deeply unpopular. One recent poll found that '68% of registered voters in California disapprove of the president's job performance and believe the country is on the wrong track,' according to the Los Angeles Times. The same phenomenon is happening in New York, where some of Trump's top allies in Congress pushed back aggressively against a proposal to raise the cap on state and local tax deductions, known as SALT. 'A higher SALT cap isn't a luxury. It's a matter of fairness. We reject this offer,' they wrote in a letter. Defending noncontroversial programs is an easy way for these politicians to show they're attuned to their constituents' needs. And the sheer breadth of the Trump-led cuts makes it possible for Republicans to pick and choose the most appealing programs to defend. Is anyone in favor of being blindsided by an atmospheric river? Anti-preschooler? Yet the increasing frequency with which Republicans appear to be taking public stands against Trump suggests that the missing-in-action Congress might be awakening to his most egregious actions. This week, Senate Republicans — the ones who welcomed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth into top leadership positions — forced Trump to abandon his nomination of Ed Martin, an extremist who defended Jan. 6 rioters, as U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. It's against this backdrop that Republicans in Congress will be wrestling with budget cuts, including, potentially, cutting billions from Medicaid. Republicans in swing districts, including California Reps. David Valadao of Bakersfield and Young Kim of Anaheim, told House Speaker Mike Johnson in a letter that 'we cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.' Of course, letters are one thing; standing up to Trump in a contentious budget showdown is another. It's far from clear whether these lawmakers would buckle under meaningful pressure from Trump. Still, their pushback this week offers at least an acknowledgment that Trump's moves are impacting many of their constituents' livelihoods — and perhaps soon, their own.
