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Judge Orders Reinstatement of AmeriCorps Grants and Members in 24 States

It requires AmeriCorps to restore funding that was slashed without public notice in states that brought the lawsuit.

This January 2025 photo shows then-President Joe Biden greeting members of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps in Charleston, S.C. A federal judge on Thursday blocked Trump’s AmeriCorps cuts, ensuring continued support for California and 23 other states’ vital community programs.
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman granted a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s cancellation of State and National AmeriCorps grants in the 24 plaintiff states and Washington, D.C.
  • The order directs AmeriCorps to reinstate National Civilian Community Corps members and VISTA volunteers who were discharged early if they are willing to return to service.
  • Plaintiffs argued that the abrupt cuts violated federal notice-and-comment rulemaking requirements and caused irreparable harm to community programs.
  • Prior cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency had reduced AmeriCorps staff from over 700 employees to 116 and eliminated about $400 million in grants, forcing roughly 30,000 volunteers out.
  • The injunction applies only to the states that sued and does not restore the majority of federal employees placed on administrative leave during the downsizing.