A federal judge issued an order following a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration aimed at reversing recent funding cuts to AmeriCorps programs in Washington, D.C., and 24 states governed by Democrats.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Deborah suggested that the states have a strong likelihood of success in their argument that federal law mandates AmeriCorps to provide notice and a collection period before implementing significant budget reductions.
“While the lawsuit is ongoing, the state cannot simply halt current and future disaster response activities,” she stated, noting that these states are expected to cover the gap with their own resources. “The expenses they incur won’t be recoverable by the end of this legal dispute,” she added.
AmeriCorps, established in 1993, is a federal agency dedicated to national service, providing scholarships to volunteers tackling various local, state, and national issues.
The Trump administration’s efforts in April aimed to significantly downsize AmeriCorps as part of broader spending cuts across the federal government.
According to the judge, AmeriCorps has reduced its workforce from over 700 to just around 116 employees, resulting in nearly 30,000 volunteers withdrawing from the program. Additionally, it has terminated 1,031 grants, which is about half of its total funding.
The order mandates the administration to address issues regarding the National Civilian Community Corps and to restore the terminated state grants. However, the judge declined to reinstate laid-off employees, indicating that the states lacked the legal grounds to pursue that aspect of the case.
“The potential harm a defendant may experience due to agency actions is less significant compared to the specific detriments faced by the states and communities supported by the AmeriCorps program,” Judge Boardman highlighted.
States involved in the lawsuit include Maryland, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
In their defense, the Trump administration contended that no notification or comment process was necessary and that the states lacked legal standing. They also claimed that the states should have directed their grievances to a court possessing exclusive authority over specific government contract disputes.
Comment was sought from AmeriCorps regarding these developments.
