WILMINGTON, Del. – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) published an op-ed in U.S. News & World Report yesterday decrying President Trump’s and Elon Musk’s devastating attacks on AmeriCorps, a program that has long stood as an example of Americans’ generosity and commitment to serving our communities. Senator Coons is a Co-chair of the National Service Caucus.
Additionally, Senator Coons led a letter to Trump yesterday co-signed by 148 of his colleagues in Congress defending AmeriCorps and NCCC AmeriCorps members. The letter calls on President Trump to reverse cuts made last week by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the agency that deploys more than 200,000 Americans a year through programs such as AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors that support critical community services at more than 35,000 locations across the country.
“Helping is an American value that has guided us since our nation’s founding,” Senator Coons wrote. “But our current president and his biggest donor, Elon Musk, whom Trump has put in charge of slashing the federal government, have been systematically firing helpers all across our country…. I believe we are born onto this earth to care for one another, to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly. To not just look for the helpers, but to be them.”
Last week, nearly every AmeriCorps staff member was put on administrative leave, which has been followed by a wave of “Reduction in Force” notices today. This extreme reduction in force will make it impossible for AmeriCorps to continue delivering critical services to Americans, including disaster response, teaching and tutoring, and supporting veterans.
“In the next hurricane, the next earthquake, the next teacher shortage, where will the helpers be?” Senator Coons asked. “Cut by cut, Americans will be looking for helpers who never come.”
Senator Coons also made the point that AmeriCorps isn’t a waste of taxpayer dollars—it’s a sound economic investment. Despite costing only one-fiftieth of 1% of the $6.8 trillion federal budget, AmeriCorps returns $17 in societal benefits for every dollar spent.
You can read the full op-ed here.