Disigning of AmeriCorps by Trump impacts substantially, affecting both volunteers and localities significantly

Rewritten Article:

Heads Spin as AmeriCorps Grants Disappear

Once a 25-year-old team leader for AmeriCorps, Theo Faucher now finds himself unemployed, along with thousands of other Americans, due to the sudden axing of nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants. This move, a hefty chunk of the agency's $1 billion budget, was announced without a clear rationale, leaving many in the dark.

With the Trump administration's unexpected decision, approximately 32,000 people across the country, primarily young adults but also senior volunteers, have been forced to halt their work in diverse sectors like disaster recovery, education, environmental stewardship, and public health.

To add insult to injury, a majority of AmeriCorps staff were also let go last month, decimating an agency that was initially established three decades ago as a platform for people to serve their country.

Brandon Fernandez, a 21-year-old disaster recovery volunteer, shared his dismay, explaining that he'd hoped his assignment might pave the way for a job with FEMA. As his group was told they were being disbanded, Fernandez and his colleagues found it hard to contain their tears. "My bosses had no clue about this; they were as shocked as we were," Fernandez said.

Faucher, who received the upsetting news in West Virginia, expressed disappointment over the slashing of funds for this small agency, referring to it as a patriotic program that benefits both the nation and the young people it nurtures. He described his team as 18 and 19-year-old novices who hadn't ventured far from home and were unsure of their life paths. However, his experiences with them demonstrated vast personal growth, agency, and competence.

Kaira Esgate, CEO of America’s Service Commissions, felt deeply about the loss of such opportunities. Though she acknowledged the agency's struggles, such as its failure to pass eight consecutive audits, she emphasized that improper or unqualified payments are a pervasive government-wide issue. AmeriCorps itself identified $45 million in improper payments during its own review of spending, a sum that has since been repaid in accordance with the law. Furthermore, the agency is improving its antiquated IT system to better monitor payments.

Two legal challenges have surfaced in response to the dismantling of AmeriCorps: one from community organizations, and another from two dozen Democratic-led states. Much like other lawsuits against the administration, these argue that President Trump lacks the authority to drastically alter an agency funded and established by Congress for decades.

AnnMaura Connolly, head of the nonprofit Voices for National Service, underscored the bipartisan support AmeriCorps enjoys. She posited that this program powerfully transforms its participants, not just those who serve, but also the students they educate and mentor. In addition, regional and local nonprofits, faith-based groups, and large organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America depend on AmeriCorps funding. Moreover, it plays a critical role in revitalizing local economies, particularly in states hit hard by the cuts, like West Virginia.

For many service members, the loss of funding has dealt a heavy financial blow. In Chicago, Madly Espinoza, a 26-year-old grant acquisition assistant, has had her future plans jeopardized due to uncertainty over her AmeriCorps education award. Meanwhile, Nate Rebosa, a recent addition to the American Red Cross in Lubbock, Texas, now faces an employment limbo, despite his ambitions to work in community or government roles.

The loss of jobs can also mean no health insurance or federal unemployment benefits for many dismissed members, prompting concerns and necessitating charitable responses, such as an emergency fund set up by America's Service Commissions. Both paid and non-paid AmeriCorps staff are at risk of being terminated on June 24, leaving the agency potentially understaffed and unable to optimally manage its remaining resources.

Sources:

"Essentially it was, pull your team off the work site, pack up your camp, hit the road tonight, if possible," he recalled.
The Trump administration had ended nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants, a sizable chunk of the agency's roughly billion dollar budget. A notice on April 25 said the grants no longer fit AmeriCorps' priorities, but offered no detail on why not.
Some 32,000 people across the country - mostly young adults but also senior volunteers - have had to immediately stop their work in fields like disaster recovery, education, environmental stewardship and public health.
The Trump administration also fired most AmeriCorps staff last month.
The combined cuts have gutted a federal agency created three decades ago as a way for people to serve their country.
"I kinda feel devastated," said Brandon Fernandez, who's 21 and was helping with disaster recovery after Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.
"My bosses did not know about this at all," Fernandez said. "They were shocked as well."
Faucher, the team leader who got the news in West Virginia, said slashing the budget of this small agency is a shame.
"I think AmeriCorps is a very patriotic program," he said, calling it good for the country and good for the young adults he led.
They were 18 and 19 year olds who'd never left home and weren't sure what they wanted to do with their lives, he said.
"To have that opportunity ripped away from them is just unconscionable," said Kaira Esgate, CEO of America's Service Commissions, a nonprofit that represents the state groups that manage AmeriCorps funding.
She admitted there have been issues, noting that AmeriCorps has failed eight consecutive audits.
A White House spokeswoman cited the same thing in a statement to NPR, and pointed to $45 million in improper payments last year.
Esgate said incorrect or unqualified payments are a longstanding government wide problem, and AmeriCorps found that $45 million in its own review of spending.
By law, improper payments get paid back. The agency is also upgrading a clunky IT system to better track payments. "We'd like to see it of course go faster, but I also understand that these things don't just change overnight," she said.
AmeriCorps did not respond to a request for comment from NPR.
Two legal challenges have been filed over AmeriCorps' dismantling, one by community organizations and the other by two dozen Democratic-led states.
Like so many other lawsuits against the administration, they allege that President Trump does not have authority to gut an agency that was created and funded for decades by Congress.
AnnMaura Connolly, who heads the nonprofit Voices for National Service, said Democrats and Republicans alike have long supported AmeriCorps.
"This is really an incredible story of the power of a person, or a group of people, to make a difference in their communities, and in ways that have ripple effects that go well into the future," she said.
AmeriCorps transforms not just those who serve, she said, but also the students many teach and mentor.
Local and regional nonprofits and faith-based groups are reeling from this loss, she said, and AmeriCorps helps staff larger organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
The funding can also be crucial for local economies.
In states like West Virginia, it's a massive opportunity to keep young people, talented young people in the state, help them get ready for careers and to really invest in their communities there. And they were hit hard by this," she said.
It's also been a financial blow for many AmeriCorps service members.
In Chicago, 26-year-old Madly Espinoza spent several months helping to bring in grants for a nonprofit that supports homeless families. She was counting on the AmeriCorps education award at the end of the year-long assignment to help pay her community college student loan.
But now she's not sure whether she'll get the full amount.
"Anything that you were planning, maybe an expense or whatever," she said, "now you have to scramble and think, 'How am I going to make up for that?' So it's tough."
"Right now I am currently rudderless," said Nate Rebosa, who'd only spent a few weeks helping the American Red Cross in Lubbock, Texas, before being dismissed.
He still wants to go into this kind of community or government work, but says AmeriCorps funding supports so much of it that "I am in limbo now trying to find a job."
The loss of jobs can also mean no health insurance or federal unemployment benefits, a worry for many dismissed members. America's Service Commissions has raised money for an emergency fund to offer help.
The 85% of AmeriCorps staff who are on paid administrative leave will have their jobs terminated on June 24. Esgate said the agency still has other funding, but a staff shortage could make that difficult to administer.
She also worried that nonprofits will now be wary of hosting volunteers. "Are they just going to say, you know what ... there's too much risk here for us?" she wondered.

Enrichment Data Integration:

The cuts to AmeriCorps grants seem to be part of a larger effort by the Trump Administration to reduce federal spending and downsize the workforce of federal agencies.
The Trump Administration placed at least 85% of AmeriCorps employees on administrative leave and plans to terminate their jobs on June 24, 2025.
The termination of nearly $400 million in grants on April 25 has impacted state and local organizations that relied on these funds for volunteer and service efforts.
Studies indicate that AmeriCorps programs generate substantial economic returns, with a return of as much as $34.26 for every dollar spent.
The terminations have sparked a multistate lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s actions as illegal under the Administrative Procedures Act and the U.S. Constitution.
Kaira Esgate, CEO of America’s Service Commissions, expressed deep concern over the loss of opportunities for service members.
Despite the struggles faced by AmeriCorps, such as failing consecutive audits and improper payments, Esgate cited these issues as pervasive in the government sector.
Amidst the cuts, community organizations have filed a legal challenge against the Trump Administration, arguing that President Trump lacks the authority to drastically alter an agency funded and established by Congress for decades.
AnnMaura Connolly, head of the nonprofit Voices for National Service, underscored the bipartisan support for AmeriCorps, stating that it powerfully transforms not just the participants but also the students they educate and mentor.
In addition to local and regional nonprofits, faith-based groups, and large organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Teach for America, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, AmeriCorps funding plays a critical role in revitalizing local economies, particularly in states hit hard by the cuts, like West Virginia.
The loss of AmeriCorps grants is part of a larger effort by the Trump Administration to reduce federal spending and downsize the workforce of federal agencies, as indicated by the enrichment data.
With the termination of nearly $400 million in grants on April 25, state and local organizations that relied on these funds for volunteer and service efforts have been significantly impacted.

Disigning of AmeriCorps by Trump impacts substantially, affecting both volunteers and localities significantly