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A2    U.S. NEWS
                    Thursday 17 april 2025


















            AmeriCorps members who respond to disasters and help

            nonprofits are let go in DOGE cuts


            By HANNAH FINGERHUT                                                                                                 ment from AmeriCorps.
            Associated Press                                                                                                    Funding  for  AmeriCorps
            DES  MOINES,  Iowa  (AP)  —                                                                                         and NCCC has long been
            Young  volunteers  who  re-                                                                                         included  when  there  are
            spond  to  natural  disasters                                                                                       talks in Congress of budget
            and  help  with  community                                                                                          trims. The federal agency’s
            projects  across  the  U.S.                                                                                         budget    showed    NCCC
            have  been  discharged  as                                                                                          funding amounted to near-
            a  result  of  the  Trump  ad-                                                                                      ly $38 million last fiscal year.
            ministration  ‘s  campaign                                                                                          The  unsigned  memo  to
            to shrink government work-                                                                                          members     said   NCCC’s
            force and services.                                                                                                 “ability  to  sustain  program
            AmeriCorps’ National Civil-                                                                                         operations” was impacted
            ian  Community  Corps  in-                                                                                          by  “new  operational  pa-
            formed volunteers Tuesday                                                                                           rameters”  laid  out  by  the
            that  they  would  exit  the                                                                                        Trump  administration’s  pri-
            program early “due to pro-                                                                                          orities  and  President  Don-
            grammatic  circumstances     As President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton mark the 20th anniversary of the   ald Trump’s executive order
            beyond  your  control,”  ac-  AmeriCorps  national  service  program,  hundreds  of  new  volunteers  are  sworn  in  for  duty  at  a   creating  the  Department
            cording  to  an  email  ob-  ceremony, Friday, Sept. 12, 2014, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.   of  Government  Efficiency.
            tained  by  The  Associated                                                                        Associated Press   Members,  who  receive  a
            Press.                       to  the  program’s  website,  or  the  Federal  Emergency   The  volunteers  are  espe-  living allowance and have
            More  than  2,000  people  and  get  assigned  to  proj-  Management  Agency.  It      cially  visible  after  natural  basic  expenses  covered,
            ages  18  to  26  serve  for  ects  with  nonprofits  and  celebrated its 30th year last   disasters,  including  Hurri-  would be paid through the
            nearly  a  year,  according  community     organizations  year.                        cane  Katrina  in  2005  and  end  of  April,  according  to
                                                                                                   Hurricane Helene last year.  the memo.
                                                                                                   The organization said on so-  The program also provides
                                                                                                   cial media last month that  members  who  complete
                                                                                                   teams  have  served  8  mil-  their   1,700-hour   service
                                                                                                   lion service hours on nearly  term with funding for future
                                                                                                   3,400 disaster projects since  education  expenses  or  to
                                                                                                   1999. Jordan Kinsler, 23, has  apply  to  certain  student
                                                                                                   worked  with  FEMA  Corps  loans.  That  benefit  was
                                                                                                   for  the  last  nine  months,  worth about $7,300 this ser-
                                                                                                   traveling  from  Minnesota  vice year.
                                                                                                   communities  impacted  by  The  memo  stated  that
                                                                                                   floods to ones in North Car-  those  who  have  complet-
                                                                                                   olina  touched  by  Helene.  ed 15% or more of their term
                                                                                                   He  and  his  team  were  on  would be eligible for a pro-
                                                                                                   their  final  project  at  FEMA  rated  amount,  but  those
                                                                                                   headquarters  in  Washing-   that  have  completed  less
                                                                                                   ton  when  they  got  word  would not be eligible.
                                                                                                   Tuesday that they wouldn’t  There’s  always  been  “bi-
                                                                                                   be able to finish.           partisan support” of NCCC
                                                                                                   Kinsler, who is from Long Is-  —  “and  bipartisan  criti-
                                                                                                   land,  New  York,  said  they  cism,”  said  Kate  Raftery,
                                                                                                   packed that night and left  who  was  NCCC  director
                                                                                                   Wednesday  morning  for  from 2011 to 2014.
                                                                                                   their  home  base  in  Vicks-  Raftery  said  the  abrupt
                                                                                                   burg, Mississippi.           departure  of  these  service
                                                                                                   Kinsler  said  he’s  proud  of  teams  would  have  last-
                                                                                                   the  work  he’s  done  and  ing  damage  both  on  the
                                                                                                   had  hoped  to  apply  for  a  NCCC members who were
                                                                                                   permanent position.          gaining  education  and
                                                                                                   “To  have  this  ripped  right  launching  careers  as  well
                                                                                                   from  us  at  the  very  end,  it  as  the  organizations  that
                                                                                                   felt insulting,” he said.    depend  on  them  and  the
                                                                                                   The  AP  sent  an  email  neighborhoods where they
                                                                                                   Wednesday  seeking  com-     served. q
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