The Trump administration has begun winding down AmeriCorps, the national service program for young volunteers, prompting backlash and a pending lawsuit from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
This week, AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) informed volunteers they would be discharged early due to “programmatic circumstances beyond your control.” The decision affects thousands of volunteers who have served in disaster recovery and community projects across the U.S.
White House officials said AmeriCorps was targeted for cuts as part of the broader effort by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce the federal workforce. Around $250 million in contracts were canceled, and most full-time AmeriCorps staff were placed on administrative leave.
Newsom responded sharply, saying, “We’ve gone from the New Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society to a federal government that gives the middle finger to volunteers serving their fellow Americans.” He announced plans for legal action to block the dismantling of the program.
The AmeriCorps program, launched in 1993, operates in 35,000 U.S. locations and awarded over $130 million to California alone last year.
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