The two U.S. senators and the entire U.S. House delegation from Massachusetts have urged the Trump administration to cease their reductions of AmeriCorps, praising the national service program as a standout example of frugal public-private collaboration.
They have issued a letter to President Donald Trump and Jennifer Bastress Tahmasebi, expressing their concern that the $400 million slash in funds across the country from April endangers not only the existing operation of national service programs, but also puts the steadiness of community-themed initiatives delivering essential services to local communities in Massachusetts, as well as the wider nation, at risk.
The statewide impact of these cuts in Massachussets equates to a loss of about $8 million, which would have been funneled into 17 diverse initiatives statewide. These range from the development of a trail system in Hampshire County to a targeted environmental clean-up mission in Cape Cod.
These prescribed budgetary cuts were directed by the Department of Government Efficiency. Born in 1993, this federal entity enables Americans to participate in volunteer activities in order to meet national critical needs.
Annually, the program attracts nearly 200,000 committed citizens, ready to actively partake in efforts related to public health, education, disaster response, and environmental protection. In 2024, over 6,400 AmeriCorps participants served at more than 800 sites spread across the state.
Despite the invaluable results from the program, the Trump administration has effectively ‘hacked away’ its funding, dismissed staff, and proposed to completely eliminate AmeriCorps. Numerous people directly connected with the program and experiencing the fallout of these cuts firsthand share this sentiment.
The drastic and sudden nature of these funding cuts has left AmeriCorps representatives throughout Massachusetts wrestling with sudden life changes. Furthermore, entire communities across the state may find themselves without the important resources formerly provided by these pivotal schemes.
Recently, a retarding action was instituted by a federal judge issuing a 14-day restraining order to impede the efforts to reorganize federal government – AmeriCorps and several other federal agencies included. The political leaders encouraged the White House to withdraw from its legal challenge.
They pleaded: ‘Rather than allow this legal skirmish to unfold in the courts, take immediate action to reverse your path, reinstate AmeriCorps grants and administrative staffing and reassert our nation’s dedication to national service.’
In a related development, the Massachusetts Attorney General, along with key figures from 24 other states and the District of Columbia, has lodged a separate lawsuit to oppose similar measures. The legal case posits that the president lacks the constitutional authority to dismantle AmeriCorps, asserting that this power is vested in Congress.
AmeriCorps is synonymous with service and civic involvement, granting over 1,100 Massachusetts residents the remarkable opportunity to serve in diverse areas such as public health, education, disaster aid and more. I am honored to stand with my equals in opposing these unlawful attempts to dismantle such a worthy service program.
The letter also posed several questions to the administration aimed at shedding more light on the actual effects of the cuts in Massachusetts, particularly on AmeriCorps personnel and the communities they serve. They called for a response by May 20.
The political figureheads expressed, ‘These reductions to the AmeriCorps initiative pose a risk not only to the enduring function of national service programs, but also to the equilibrium of community-run initiatives that provide crucial services to communities all over Massachusetts and the United States.’