The Trump administration placed around 75% of full-time American employees on administrative leave Wednesday as the administration is trying to rebuild Clinton-era volunteer agencies from scratch, Fox News Digital learned.
A total of 535 full-time Americanorps employees out of the agency’s 700 staff have taken leave, administrative officials confirmed Thursday with Fox News Digital.
Volunteers from the National Civilian Community Corps of America, a program that focuses specifically on opportunities for young volunteering between the ages of 18 and 26, were preemptively drawn from the field before the Trump administration placed full-time agency staff on holiday Wednesday. Approximately $250 million in Americaorps contracts have also been cancelled.
Administrator officials say that Americaorps is expected to continue to exist, but the business will essentially resume from scratch.
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During an event at the University of Maryland, then President Bill Clinton joined the youth of the Americans. (Getty Images)
Former President Bill Clinton created the Americanorps National Service program in 1993 as the government’s volunteer division to support communities across the country.
The agency receives about $1 billion in taxpayer funds each year, the House of Representatives’ Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee previously found, but has failed its audits for eight consecutive times over the past decade.
“Unfortunately, Americaorps has a long history of abusing taxpayer dollars,” said the chairman of the House Subcommittee. Republican Utah Rep. Burgess Owens; It was stated in a December 2024 statement.
“Americorps has over $1 billion in taxpayer funds each year, resulting in eight consecutive failed audits,” he continued. “In 2023, Americaorps Inspector General published a “Management Issues” report detailing the key challenges facing Americaorps. This includes not being able to detect fraud. There is no real idea that Americaorps can get a clean audit again.
Then President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will pos with members of Americaorps upon their arrival at the joint base in Charleston, North Charleston, South Carolina on January 19, 2025. (Robert Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has recently looked into Americorp’s budget, with the 2023 budget of $1,312,806, which included $99,686,000 in expenses and salaries, but the 2024 fiscal year I saw a budget of $1,262,806. This included the same numbers for expenses and pay. The Biden administration proposed a $1,342,093,000 budget for fiscal year 2025.
Agent’s Annual Management Report In 2024, it was shown that it had $3.7 billion in assets, including investments of over $1.5 billion.
Fox Digital has become a top priority for agencies focused on volunteers, with the 2024 Annual Management Report identifies racial and economic equity as one of their top priorities.
President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at a campaign event held in Pickens, South Carolina on July 1, 2023. (Shawn Rayford/Getty Images)
“Americorps has a decades of commitment to advancing racial and economic equity through national services and volunteer work,” the report states. “These efforts are designed to expand the pathway to opportunities for all Americans. Racial and economic equity is central to the planning and implementation of all American priorities, ensuring that Americaorps members and volunteers reflect the diversity of the American people and the communities they serve.”
Owens said in 2024 that while some of the institution’s programs are “good intentional,” taxpayers should not continue to fund the office, but asked them to land in the government’s efficiency chopping block.
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“It makes no sense to expand this agency or give more money if you don’t meet basic accountability standards,” he said. “Every time their representatives come before this committee, Americaorps ensures they implement reforms and nothing changes every year. We can direct them to modernize and reform until their faces turn blue, but don’t realize that they are built on flawed ideas.
