Overview
- A coalition of 24 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., filed a federal lawsuit on April 29, alleging the Trump administration unlawfully gutted AmeriCorps by slashing its workforce and canceling $400 million in grants.
- The cuts, directed by the Department of Government Efficiency under Elon Musk, placed 85% of AmeriCorps staff on leave and affected over 1,000 community programs nationwide.
- State attorneys general argue that the administration's actions violate the U.S. Constitution's separation of powers, as AmeriCorps was established and funded by Congress.
- AmeriCorps, a 30-year-old agency with a $1 billion budget, supports 200,000 volunteers annually in disaster relief, education, and conservation projects across the U.S.
- States like California and Colorado are expanding their own service corps to address the void left by the cuts, while legal challenges seek to halt the dismantling of the federal program.