Gov. Gavin Newsom announced late Thursday that California will sue the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency’s cuts to AmeriCorps.
“We’ve gone from the New Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society to a federal government that gives the middle finger to volunteers serving their fellow Americans. We will sue to stop this,” Newsom said in a statement.
AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps informed volunteers Tuesday that they would exit the program early “due to programmatic circumstances beyond your control,” according to an email obtained by The Associated Press.
The Trump administration placed most senior AmeriCorps employees on leave on Wednesday as DOGE prepares to implement spending cuts across the agency.
AmeriCorps NCCC employs more than 2,000 people ages 18 to 26 participating for a roughly 10-month service term, according to the program’s website. The teams of corps members are tasked with working on several projects related to education, housing, urban and rural development, land conservation, and disaster relief, driving from one assignment to another across the country.
According to the program, the agency pays for volunteers’ basic expenses, including housing, meals, a “limited health benefit,” and a “modest” living allowance. The program also provided members who complete their 1,700-hour service term with funding for future education expenses or to apply for certain student loans. That benefit was worth about $7,300 this service year.
Newsom also announced that California will accelerate the California Service Corps program recruitment. “Corps members help communities by taking climate action, tutoring and mentoring students to help them succeed, supporting regions impacted by disasters, working to end hunger and connecting vulnerable people to vital resources and services,” according to the program’s website.
The new lawsuit comes after Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta made California the first state to sue Trump over tariffs.
