In a recent legal triumph, Attorney General Mayes struck a significant blow against the Trump administration's push for austerity in community service, successfully halting a $184 million funding cut to AmeriCorps programs. As reported by the Arizona Attorney General's Office, a settlement was reached with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), ensuring the release of these crucial funds intended to bolster service programs across the nation – the very programs that were facing existential threats under proposed budgetary slashes.
The journey to safeguarding AmeriCorps' future began in earnest on July 23 when Attorney General Mayes joined forces with an assertive coalition by filing an amended lawsuit that intercepted OMB's attempts to eviscerate the agency's offerings, the Trump administration had planned to cut nearly 90 percent of AmeriCorps' workforce and cancel down its contracts what followed was a grant of a preliminary injunction in June restoring hundreds of unlawfully cancelled AmeriCorps initiatives and a court-imposed curb on similar de-funding actions without lawful rulemaking. But the respite was short-lived as OMB continued withholding the specified funds, leading to further legal recourse in July where OMB was added as a defendant in the amended lawsuit.
The staunch opposition to the Trump administration's austerity measures was echoed by Attorney General Mayes who, according to a direct quote from the Arizona Attorney General's Office, proclaimed, "This is a complete and total win over the Trump administration's chaos and destruction." Mayes extolled the benefits of AmeriCorps, highlighting how the Trump administration's capitulation in the legal bout secured a victory for Arizonans, emblematic of the larger national sentiment favoring public service and volunteerism.
The full extent of the Trump administration's proposed cuts would have been catastrophic, threatening to terminate $400 million worth of AmeriCorps programs and with OMB's fund retention jeopardizing numerous service programs in Arizona and other states such as the Teacher Residency Program at Northern Arizona University, Caring Circles for home-bound seniors, and more, these programs, fundamental in addressing diverse community needs, were on the brink before relief was affirmed in the court's recent decision. The move by OMB to release the AmeriCorps funds came on Thursday, a day before their official response was due, instead of fighting the preliminary injunction, OMB agreed to disburse all withheld AmeriCorps funds, a swift measure ensuring that the local and national volunteer efforts will continue unabated.
Attorney General Mayes' effort was a collective action, with the support and solidarity of attorneys general from 22 states and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
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