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Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal cuts to AmeriCorps impact rural West Virginians
HILLSBORO, WV (WVNS) -The federal government abruptly terminated around $440 million in federal grants nationwide, including AmeriCorps grants to nine West Virginia agencies. Sarah Riley, the executive director of one of the impacted agencies, said the grants were awarded federal contracts. The agencies which lost competitive federal grants were High Rock Educational Corporation in Pocahontas County (69 members) and Grow Ohio Valley (13). Federal officials abruptly slashed state formula AmeriCorps grants for Tygart Valley United Way (22), City of Weston (19), Preservation Alliance of WV (25) and WomenCare FamilyCare (5) and a planning grant for the WV Food and Farm Coalition, Riley stated in an email to other AmeriCorps directors. She added that United Way of Central West Virginia in Charleston also lost 15 members through a federal slashing of the VISTA program and that the WV Youth Promise Alliance lost 14 members. Three national VISTA programs which place volunteers in West Virginia also lost funding. Favorite foods across West Virginia 'This list was a random cut list,' Riley stated in the email. 'It does not reflect the value, effectiveness, or competitiveness of our AmeriCorps programs April Elkins Badtke, executive director of Steward Individual Placement in Beckley, an AmeriCorps agency, said on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, that rural West Virginia is going to be impacted. She called the loss 'devastating.' 'It's the ripple effect, that that's going to impact. It could be a local food bank,' Badtke said. 'It could be a local Boys and Girls Club or a YMCA Center or a school that's going to miss those mentors or those tutors.' Riley is the executive director of High Rocks. She said on Wednesday that federal Americorps grants that had been promised to her agency were cut without warning on Friday, after an unofficial list was circulated on social media. She said the official cuts reflected those that had earlier been published on social media. Trump Administration officials said AmeriCorps, which receives one billion dollars in tax funding, had failed eight consecutive audits and that the federal cuts are designed to eliminate government waste. Pipestem Resort State Park to kick off Homegrown Music Series Riley said High Rocks, however, has a nearly 100% success rate in helping participants find employment, education or job training, and that necessary services in West Virginia were being targeted by appointed federal officials. 'Nobody can make sense of that list. There's not a reason that we're on that list,' she said. 'There is nothing about the High Rocks program that is waste, fraud or abuse. We're really good at what we do. ' West Virginia has one of the lowest work force participation rates in the nation and one of the highest rates of opioid overdose deaths, according to recent national governmental data. It is the least educated state in the U.S., according to World Population Review data. Riley said her AmeriCorps volunteers, mostly young people, are among 209 in the state whose positions were cut. She said that they are all native West Virginians, some of them in addiction recovery and some of them using the program to help pay for college. They live at the poverty level as volunteers, she said, and, as volunteers, they do not qualify for unemployment. Prosecutors say text messages show Natalie Cochran tried to put distance between Michael Cochran and his family 'There's no safety net for them,' she said. 'They don't have parents that are making their car payments. They are working to improve their lives and the lives of the people around them, and they've done this service as a key way to move themselves forward, to go back to school, to get personal and professional development, to build their resume so they can be the work force that West Virginia needs.' Riley said former Gov. Jim Justice, who is now a U.S. Senator, had been a supporter of AmeriCorps. The Corporation for National and Community Service ranks West Virginia first in the nation for AmeriCorps enrollment. About two dozen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, questioning the legality of the cuts and alleging the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) ordered them without authority. West Virginia, as of Wednesday, April 30, 2025, was not among the plaintiffs. 59News contacted Gov. Patrick Morissey on Wednesday regarding potential state funding availability for AmeriCorps programming but did not get a reply. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DOGE hits Trump country
Three months in, it's become abundantly clear that it's not just federal Washington-based programs and overseas aid that are feeling the wrath of Elon Musk and DOGE. The cuts are hitting home in the reddest parts of the country, and Republican elected officials are starting to push back. Abrupt cuts at AmeriCorps this week have landed hard in deep red states with high poverty rates like West Virginia, Mississippi and Alabama, where national service programs have long-filled gaps in education, disaster response and job training. On Friday, AmeriCorps, at the behest of DOGE, unexpectedly terminated nearly $400 million in grants, more than 40 percent of the agency's grant funds. The move affects more than 1,000 grantees and sidelines more than 32,000 AmeriCorps members nationwide. Commissions in all 50 states were notified of terminations. In some states, including Alabama and Wyoming, the entire grant portfolio was axed. 'Dear AmeriCorps Award Recipient, Effective immediately, the AmeriCorps award subrecipient(s) included in the attached spreadsheet is/are being terminated because it has been determined that the award no longer effectuates agency priorities,' acting AmeriCorps head Jennifer Bastress Tahmasebi wrote in a letter to affected programs. They are grants to build homes, respond to disasters and support veterans — the type of work that tends to win bipartisan support. 'All those services are so well used in Louisiana,' said Billy Nungesser, the Republican Lt. Gov of Louisiana, where 13 AmeriCorps programs were cut, hitting 330 volunteers, including around three dozen veterans placed in universities and community college campuses to help other veterans transition back to civilian life. 'I'm hoping that the president can look at it again. If they need to make cuts, let us decide what programs are worthy. It's hard for them to see from Washington what impact these programs have,' Nungesser said. West Virginia's second largest AmeriCorps program — known as High Rocks — lost both of its grants on Tuesday. The organization provides workforce development training for lower-income youth. 'We're trying so hard to hold on and support our members that just got axed in an incredibly cruel way,' said Sarah Riley, High Rocks' executive director. AmeriCorps volunteers were told that they had to cease their operations immediately, but many volunteers, who rely on the program's assistance, are ineligible to file for unemployment benefits. 'Our greatest export is young people – our future talent,' said Ashlea Krasnansky, a West Virginia native and AmeriCorps student director with High Rock's First2 Network program that encourages STEM education in West Virginia. 'I believe that the AmeriCorps program helps combat this issue.' The state's support for the program has been overwhelmingly bipartisan. In 2022, West Virginia's Republican-controlled legislature unanimously passed a bill providing tuition assistance to AmeriCorps volunteers, signed into law by then-Gov. Jim Justice, now a U.S. senator. A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment. Elsewhere, 650 volunteers for the agency's National Civilian Community Corps on four campuses nationwide, including two in Iowa and Mississippi, were forced to leave their postings early after DOGE cut the program that gives young people the opportunity to volunteer in natural disaster assistance and community projects. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a longtime supporter of AmeriCorps, criticized the cuts on Musk's platform, X, on Friday : 'I support improving efficiency and eliminating waste, but I would have to object to cutting AmeriCorps grants like those that support Louisiana's veterans and organizations that provide crucial support after hurricanes and natural disasters.' More than 20 blue states filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing the Trump administration of illegally dismantling the agency without congressional authority. On Capitol Hill, some moderate Republicans are looking for ways to stop the bleeding. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Don Bacon (R-Ne.) co-sponsored a bill to bar federal dollars from being used to dismantle the agency. 'Congressman Fitzpatrick has long championed AmeriCorps as a vital pillar of national service,' Fitzpatrick spokesperson Casey-Lee Waldron said in a statement. 'He's fighting to protect AmeriCorps from cuts and will continue working across the aisle to ensure it remains a national priority.' 'No one can seem to figure out what the rhyme or reason is. It's red states and blue states. It's urban and rural,' said Hillary Kane, the director of the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development. David Weinstein is the founder and executive director of Joyful Readers, another Philadelphia-based group that provides tutoring for K-12 students. 'Our organization teaches kids to read,' Weinstein said. 'Since when is that not a national priority?'
Politico
30-04-2025
- Business
- Politico
DOGE hits Trump country
Three months in, it's become abundantly clear that it's not just federal Washington-based programs and overseas aid that are feeling the wrath of Elon Musk and DOGE. The cuts are hitting home in the reddest parts of the country, and Republican elected officials are starting to push back. Abrupt cuts at AmeriCorps this week have landed hard in deep red states with high poverty rates like West Virginia, Mississippi and Alabama, where national service programs have long-filled gaps in education, disaster response and job training. On Friday, AmeriCorps, at the behest of DOGE, unexpectedly terminated nearly $400 million in grants, more than 40 percent of the agency's grant funds. The move affects more than 1,000 grantees and sidelines more than 32,000 AmeriCorps members nationwide. Commissions in all 50 states were notified of terminations. In some states, including Alabama and Wyoming, the entire grant portfolio was axed. 'Dear AmeriCorps Award Recipient, Effective immediately, the AmeriCorps award subrecipient(s) included in the attached spreadsheet is/are being terminated because it has been determined that the award no longer effectuates agency priorities,' acting AmeriCorps head Jennifer Bastress Tahmasebi wrote in a letter to affected programs. They are grants to build homes, respond to disasters and support veterans — the type of work that tends to win bipartisan support. 'All those services are so well used in Louisiana,' said Billy Nungesser, the Republican Lt. Gov of Louisiana, where 13 AmeriCorps programs were cut, hitting 330 volunteers, including around three dozen veterans placed in universities and community college campuses to help other veterans transition back to civilian life. 'I'm hoping that the president can look at it again. If they need to make cuts, let us decide what programs are worthy. It's hard for them to see from Washington what impact these programs have,' Nungesser said. West Virginia's second largest AmeriCorps program — known as High Rocks — lost both of its grants on Tuesday. The organization provides workforce development training for lower-income youth. 'We're trying so hard to hold on and support our members that just got axed in an incredibly cruel way,' said Sarah Riley, High Rocks' executive director. AmeriCorps volunteers were told that they had to cease their operations immediately, but many volunteers, who rely on the program's assistance, are ineligible to file for unemployment benefits. 'Our greatest export is young people – our future talent,' said Ashlea Krasnansky, a West Virginia native and AmeriCorps student director with High Rock's First2 Network program that encourages STEM education in West Virginia. 'I believe that the AmeriCorps program helps combat this issue.' The state's support for the program has been overwhelmingly bipartisan. In 2022, West Virginia's Republican-controlled legislature unanimously passed a bill providing tuition assistance to AmeriCorps volunteers, signed into law by then-Gov. Jim Justice, now a U.S. senator. A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment. Elsewhere, 650 volunteers for the agency's National Civilian Community Corps on four campuses nationwide, including two in Iowa and Mississippi, were forced to leave their postings early after DOGE cut the program that gives young people the opportunity to volunteer in natural disaster assistance and community projects. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a longtime supporter of AmeriCorps, criticized the cuts on Musk's platform, X, on Friday : 'I support improving efficiency and eliminating waste, but I would have to object to cutting AmeriCorps grants like those that support Louisiana's veterans and organizations that provide crucial support after hurricanes and natural disasters.' More than 20 blue states filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing the Trump administration of illegally dismantling the agency without congressional authority. On Capitol Hill, some moderate Republicans are looking for ways to stop the bleeding. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Don Bacon (R-Ne.) co-sponsored a bill to bar federal dollars from being used to dismantle the agency. 'Congressman Fitzpatrick has long championed AmeriCorps as a vital pillar of national service,' Fitzpatrick spokesperson Casey-Lee Waldron said in a statement. 'He's fighting to protect AmeriCorps from cuts and will continue working across the aisle to ensure it remains a national priority.' 'No one can seem to figure out what the rhyme or reason is. It's red states and blue states. It's urban and rural,' said Hillary Kane, the director of the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development. David Weinstein is the founder and executive director of Joyful Readers, another Philadelphia-based group that provides tutoring for K-12 students. 'Our organization teaches kids to read,' Weinstein said. 'Since when is that not a national priority?'
