Senate Democrats Urge Reversal of AmeriCorps Funding Cancellation

Today, the Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus sent a letter to members of Congressional leadership urging them to remedy funding cuts made to AmeriCorps. Roughly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants were canceled by the Elon Musk-led, so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Just last year, over $32 million of funding went to Ohio organizations that carry out work in the health care, education, and social service spaces. 

“This decision, made without prior notice and in conflict with established federal statutes, threatens to dismantle over a thousand community service programs and disrupt the lives of tens of thousands of AmeriCorps members across the country,” reads the letter. “We must protect the continuation of these vital services and honor the commitment of AmeriCorps members who have dedicated their lives to public service. Ohioans and Americans across the nation deserve better.”

Some of the Ohio AmeriCorps programs that were cut include:

• 74 AmeriCorps members facilitating rural and urban volunteer public health efforts through The Ohio State University;
• 32 AmeriCorps members who provide college and career readiness services through College Now Greater Cleveland;
• 14 AmeriCorps members who assist community mental health and substance use treatment needs through Mercy Health Cincinnati; and,
• 37 AmeriCorps members who work on trail reconstruction and forest health at the Buckeye State Tree Nursery

Letters were sent to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The full letter can be found here.