Following a multistate lawsuit led in part by Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, the White House Office of Management and Budget agreed to release more than $184 million in previously withheld AmeriCorps funding, preserving service programs nationwide, including in Maryland.
Per the news release distributed on Friday, August 29: “Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today prevailed in preserving funding for AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) agreed to release over $184 million in funding AmeriCorps plans to award to service programs across the country. OMB’s attempted cuts had threatened the survival of those programs and the well-being of those who depend on them.
On July 23, Attorney General Brown co-led a coalition in filing an amended lawsuit challenging OMB’s attempt to gut AmeriCorps programs. When the administration’s response was due in court, OMB and AmeriCorps instead agreed to fully release the previously withheld funds.
“This is a major victory for Maryland’s most vulnerable and the AmeriCorps members who serve them,” said Attorney General Brown. “This outcome provides security for the programs and dedicated AmeriCorps members who tutor and mentor struggling Maryland students and give food to Marylanders who need it. By protecting these programs, we are defending the wellbeing of thousands of Marylanders who depend on this critical support to live full, healthy lives.”
On April 29, Attorney General Brown and the coalition challenged the administration’s plans to eliminate nearly 90 percent of AmeriCorps’ workforce, abruptly cancel its contracts, and close $400 million worth of AmeriCorps-supported programs. In June, the court granted a preliminary injunction that reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs that were unlawfully cancelled and barred AmeriCorps from making similar cuts without formal rulemaking. Despite the order, OMB continued to withhold over $184 million intended for outstanding service programs, including AmeriCorps Seniors programs and many programs funded with highly competitive federal grants.
Because the administration withheld these resources, the coalition filed an amended lawsuit in July that added OMB as a defendant. On August 8, Attorney General Brown and the coalition filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, asking for an order to stop OMB from withholding the relevant funds. The administration’s response was due August 28; rather than oppose the states’ motion, it informed the court that OMB would release all withheld AmeriCorps funds, totaling over $184 million, which AmeriCorps will distribute to programs nationwide as quickly as possible.
This relief means that service programs across the country will be protected from the administration’s attempted cuts. AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs by funding and placing volunteers in local and national organizations that address critical community needs. Organizations rely on support from AmeriCorps to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide.
In Maryland, AmeriCorps members teach schoolchildren, build homes in Baltimore, restore state parks, and assist vulnerable populations across rural areas. The state received over $21 million in federal funding last year to support 4,949 members. The previous termination of $400 million worth of AmeriCorps programs and the recent OMB withholding of funds threatened numerous service programs in Maryland and other states, among them Frostburg State University’s ASTAR, which provides literacy, environmental, and food assistance services in western Maryland.
Attorney General Brown was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania in filing the lawsuit.”
