A coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency's cancellation of millions of dollars in grants and the termination of almost all of the employees at AmeriCorps, a federal agency that focuses on national service and volunteerism.
The lawsuit accused the administration of unlawfully gutting the agency by violating the Administrative Procedures Act and the separation of powers under the Constitution. Congress created AmeriCorps, a domestic version of the Peace Corps, in 1993 and the programs it administers, and the lawsuit stated that President Donald Trump "cannot incapacitate the agency's ability to administer appropriated grants or carry out statutorily assigned duties."
"Further, by dismantling AmeriCorps and its programs, which are creations of Congress, the Trump Administration has violated the executive branch's obligation to take care that the law is faithfully executed," the lawsuit stated.
A DOGE team tasked with streamlining the federal government by eliminating waste and fraud visited AmeriCorps earlier this month. The agency then put 85% of its employees, more than 750 in all, on administrative leave, according to the lawsuit. America's Service Commissions, a nonprofit that represents AmeriCorps' state and national commissions, said Saturday in a news release that the administration ended $400 million in grant program funding on Friday. It said the move will shutter more than 1,000 programs and abruptly end the service of more than 32,000 AmeriCorps volunteers.
"Terminating nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps grants with no advanced notice is already having a detrimental impact on the vast network that makes up the national service field in the United States," America's Service Commissions CEO Kaira Esgate said in a statement. "Thousands of people who have steadfastly dedicated their lives to serving their country through AmeriCorps are finding their livelihoods suddenly thrown into jeopardy, and hundreds of communities are losing critical services they rely on."
DOGE also terminated one of AmeriCorps' major service programs, the National Civilian Community Corps, sending home hundreds of workers stationed across the country who were focused on disaster response projects.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times that AmeriCorps has repeatedly failed audits in recent years, with millions in improper payments identified last year alone, and that Trump "has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch."
Other states in the lawsuit joining California are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. The District of Columbia joined as well.
"By abruptly canceling critical grants and gutting AmeriCorps' workforce and volunteers, DOGE is dismantling AmeriCorps without any concern for the thousands of people who are ready and eager to serve their country — or for those whose communities are stronger because of this public service," Democrat California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. "In California, AmeriCorps volunteers build affordable housing, clean up our environment, and address food insecurity in communities across our state."
The Federalist reported last month that training programs to enter AmeriCorps have been explicitly teaching participants diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts that indoctrinate them into having an anti-American worldview, where U.S. systems and institutions were designed to benefit some and disadvantage others. Such a practice would violate Trump's Inauguration Day executive order directing federal agencies to end DEI initiatives.