Democratic state officials who sued the Trump administration to block the cancellation of AmeriCorps funding have secured the money, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday.
The state officials filed a lawsuit earlier this year, saying the abrupt cancellation of funds to the community service and volunteerism program was illegal. AmeriCorps works in close partnership with states.
An injunction issued in June stopped the federal government from terminating nearly $400 million worth of AmeriCorps programs, says a news release from Beshear’s office. “On Thursday, the Trump administration agreed to release all remaining AmeriCorps money to states rather than fight the multistate team’s lawsuit,” the release says.
More than $9 million previously appropriated by Congress will be restored to Kentucky’s AmeriCorps service commission, Serve Kentucky, the governor said. The commission works on issues like housing development, fighting hunger, disaster relief and more.
“AmeriCorps and Serve Kentucky make our people, communities and country stronger by providing food, housing support, education, mental health services and more, and it was illegal and short-sighted for the President’s administration to try and dismantle this independent federal agency,” Beshear said in a statement. “Today is a good day for our commonwealth and country, as we once again see that the law – and what’s right for the American people – can rise above any challenge.”
AmeriCorps supported 5,289 members and volunteers in Kentucky in 783 service locations representing an investment of $33.7 million in 2024, according to the federal agency. Since 1994, more than 17,000 Kentucky residents have served approximately 26 million hours and earned education awards totaling more than $66 million through the program.
Beshear has joined other multi-state lawsuits challenging the Trump administration with Democratic attorneys general and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro throughout the year. Kentucky’s attorney general is Russell Coleman, a Republican.
Earlier in August, Beshear joined Democratic state officials in an ongoing lawsuit seeking to unfreeze billions in federal funds allocated to building a nationwide network of chargers for electric vehicles.
This article was originally published by the Kentucky Lantern.
