Senator Coons celebrates the restoration of AmeriCorps funding following lawsuit against Trump

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), co-chair of the bipartisan Senate National Service Caucus, celebrated the release of more than $184 million in withheld funding for AmeriCorps service programs across the country, including more than $750,000 for programs in Delaware.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) agreed to release the funds on August 29, following months of litigation led by Democrats across the nation, including Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings, and pressure from a bipartisan group of senators led by Senator Coons. Today, Senator Coons confirmed the first tranche of this funding has reach multiple state service commissions around the country, including in Delaware.

"President Trump's attempted slashing of AmeriCorps funding isn't just illegal - it harms the very men and women at the margins of society that he claims to protect, all while making it harder for civically minded Americans of all ages to make a positive difference in their communities," said Senator Coons, co-Chair of the Bipartisan Senate National Service Caucus. "I'm grateful to Attorney General Jennings for sticking up for Delaware by filing this lawsuit, and I'm glad the administration has finally agreed to release these funds. I'll keep working to defend AmeriCorps and ensure AmeriCorps members from Wilmington to Seaford have the security they need to do their jobs."

AmeriCorps was allocated $1.26 billion to support national service efforts across the country under the spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump earlier this year, funding intended to support critical initiatives like youth mentorship, disaster recovery, and senior volunteer services. However, the Trump administration has been illegally withholding $184 million from states and AmeriCorps grantees since June. Last month, Senators Coons, Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) pressed OMB to release the appropriated funding immediately.

This was not President Trump's first attack on national service. In April, his administration attempted to illegally terminate nearly $400 million in active AmeriCorps grants and fire 90% of the agency staff who oversee the program. AG Jennings co-led a multi-state lawsuit to block these cuts in April, while Senator Coons led a bicameral group of nearly 150 members of Congress united in opposition. In the face of a preliminary injunction by a federal court, the administration agreed to reverse the cuts, restoring more than $1 million for community organizations in Delaware.

AmeriCorps provides national service opportunities for more than 200,000 Americans annually across 35,000 locations around the country.