America’s Service Commissions Statement on AmeriCorps Agency Staff Reductions and NCCC Member Demobilization
America’s Service Commissions (ASC) is alarmed that in the past two days the AmeriCorps agency (also known as the Corporation for National and Community Service) has sent home all AmeriCorps NCCC members and placed approximately 85% of its federal staff on paid administrative leave. This sudden freeze of AmeriCorps agency staff and the removal of NCCC members from service will have a detrimental impact on AmeriCorps members, volunteers, and our states and communities they serve.
With such a significant number of AmeriCorps agency staff placed on leave we are extremely concerned critical programs including AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps Seniors — and our state service commissions — could have their existing agreements canceled and/or upcoming program funding canceled or significantly delayed. AmeriCorps State and National programs and AmeriCorps Seniors enroll nearly 200,000 Americans to serve unmet needs in our states and communities each year such as disaster response, assisting veterans, providing support to students, and delivering meals to seniors, all while giving AmeriCorps members the opportunity to serve their country and develop skills to help them succeed in the workforce.
The 52 governor-appointed state service commissions ensure states' priorities are addressed and provide oversight to 90% of all AmeriCorps State and National funded programs, support state and federal disaster response and recovery, and lead state-based volunteer initiatives. AmeriCorps programs are evidence-based and evaluated for effectiveness, and studies show as much as a $34 return on investment (ROI) for every federal dollar invested.
ASC strongly supports efforts to improve the AmeriCorps agency’s statutory partnership with states, streamline rules and regulations, and modernize systems. These sudden cuts to AmeriCorps agency staff and programs may create unnecessary harm instead of the welcomed common-sense reforms. We urge the President and the Department of Government Efficiency to work alongside ASC and state service commissions to mitigate any impacts on AmeriCorps members and volunteers.
We are grateful to our bipartisan champions in the United States Senate and House of Representatives for their longstanding support of AmeriCorps funded programs and state service commissions. We urge continued funding and continuity of operations to avoid devastating impact on individual AmeriCorps members, volunteers, and the states and communities they serve.
We urgently need our network of service champions to contact your Members of Congress using the tool by our partners at Voices for National Service.
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