PHOENIX – Attorney General Mayes prevailed in preserving funding for AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. The White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) agreed to release over $184 million in funding AmeriCorps plans to award to service programs across the country. OMB’s attempted cuts threatened the survival of those programs and the well-being of those who depend on them.
On July 23, Attorney General Mayes joined a coalition in filing an amended lawsuit challenging OMB’s attempt to gut AmeriCorps programs. Today, when their response for these actions was due in Court, OMB and AmeriCorps instead agreed to fully release the previously withheld funds.
“This is a complete and total win over the Trump administration’s chaos and destruction that left Arizona communities scrambling to pick up the pieces and preserve programs that help Arizonans in need,” said Attorney General Mayes. “I am proud to have sued to stop these devastating budget cuts that would have decimated AmeriCorps in our state. AmeriCorps has an incredible return on investment and represents the best of public service in our nation. Donald Trump’s surrender in this case is a win for every Arizonan."
On April 29, Attorney General Mayes and the coalition challenged the administration’s plans to eliminate nearly 90 percent of AmeriCorps’ workforce, abruptly cancel its contracts, and close $400 million worth of AmeriCorps-supported programs. In June, the Court granted a preliminary injunction that reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs that were unlawfully cancelled and barred AmeriCorps from making similar cuts without formal rulemaking. Despite the order, OMB continued to withhold over $184 million intended for outstanding service programs, including AmeriCorps Seniors programs, and many programs funded with highly competitive federal grants.
Because the Trump administration withheld these critical resources, the coalition filed an amended lawsuit in July that added OMB as a defendant. On August 8, Attorney General Mayes and the coalition filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, asking for an order to stop OMB from withholding the relevant funds. The Trump administration’s response was due yesterday, August 28. Rather than oppose the states’ motion, the administration instead informed the Court that OMB would release all withheld AmeriCorps funds, totaling over $184 million, which AmeriCorps will distribute to programs nationwide, as quickly as possible.
This relief means that service programs across the country will be protected from the administration’s devastating attempted cuts. AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs by funding and placing volunteers in local and national organizations that address critical community needs. Organizations rely on support from AmeriCorps to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide.
The Trump administration’s previous termination of $400 million worth of AmeriCorps programs and the recent OMB withholding of funds threatened numerous service programs in Arizona and other states, including Arizona’s Teacher Residency Program at Northern Arizona University – addressing Arizona’s teacher shortage, Caring Circles – which provides home-bound seniors with assistance in grocery shopping and transportation to medical appointments, and other various programs serving communities across the state.
Attorney General Mayes was joined by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‛i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania in filing the lawsuit.
A copy of the filing is available here.
