In a firm challenge to the recent Trump Administration's move to scale down federal agencies, Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown has joined forces with a multistate coalition in a lawsuit against the executive order that has effectively decimated AmeriCorps. According to a statement from the Attorney General's Office, the order terminated AmeriCorps grants and announced a workforce reduction by a staggering 85%, essentially bringing a halt to a program that annually equips over 200,000 Americans to serve their local communities through public service.
The suit, which includes 23 attorneys general and adds the weight of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, throws into question the Trump Administration's authority to cancel critical grants and significantly reduce AmeriCorps' operational capacity, an agency that has historically assisted with educational, public safety, and environmental projects. The beleaguered corps connects veterans with services, battles the opioid crisis, supports the elderly, aids in disaster recovery, and contributes to the physical and mental wellness of countless citizens.
"AmeriCorps provides hope and belonging in American communities nationwide. It gives inspiration and purpose to the young people who join its ranks annually," said Brown, who accuses the Trump administration of a power grab that dismisses the public interest for possibly illegal maneuverings, as reported by the Attorney General's Office. Since February, the administration's directive to downsize has put most of AmeriCorps’ staff on administrative leave, with a final termination notice set for late June. On April 25, Washington State received notice of the termination of its AmeriCorps grant programs, directly impeding its ability to sustain volunteer and service efforts.
The coalition, filing their complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, posits that not only does the abrupt cancellation of grants and the gutting of AmeriCorps' workforce violate the Administrative Procedure Act, it also disrupts the constitutional separation of powers, particularly since Congress is the body that created AmeriCorps and, therefore, the President does not have the jurisdiction to override its programs or compromise the agency's statutory duties. By dismantling AmeriCorps and its programs, which are creations of Congress, the Trump Administration may have overstepped its executive boundaries and neglected its duty to faithfully execute the law.
The broad coalition fighting against the AmeriCorps cutbacks notably includes the attorneys general from Maryland, Delaware, California, Colorado, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
