ASC Statement on President Biden’s Call for National Service at the United We Stand Summit
Washington, DC (September 30, 2022) — On September 15, at the United We Stand Summit, President Biden called for “a new era of national service through organizations like AmeriCorps to foster stronger communities and bridge divides in our society.” America’s Service Commissions (ASC) applauds President Biden and supports his call to action.
ASC remains committed to expanding national service and making it more equitable and accessible, so everyone has the opportunity to serve. President Biden’s call to Congress to raise the living allowance for all AmeriCorps members to $15/hour is an important part of achieving equity in AmeriCorps service.
We are thankful to President Biden for recognizing the importance of national service and its power to address many kinds of societal issues — while also acknowledging the existing barriers to service. It is imperative to the future success of national service and AmeriCorps that we work together to address these barriers and make service a possibility for everyone.
The launch of AmeriCorps’ new United We Serve campaign is an exciting and important step toward achieving equity in national service. However, we continue to urge Congress to answer President Biden’s call and increase federal funding for AmeriCorps through the FY23 appropriations process. In addition, we encourage President Biden to include robust funding for AmeriCorps in his FY24 budget request.
ASC looks forward to continuing to work with the Biden-Harris Administration, the federal AmeriCorps agency, and other national service partners and champions to achieve our shared vision for the future of national service.
About America's Service Commissions America's Service Commissions is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing and promoting the 52 state service commissions across the United States and territories with the mission to lead and elevate the state service network. State service commissions are governor-appointed public agencies or nonprofit organizations made up of more than 1,000 commissioners, private citizens leading the nation's service movement and administering more than 75 percent of the federal AmeriCorps funds to address pressing community needs.
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