WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) sent a letter yesterday to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education thanking their colleagues for their previous support of national service activities and urging their continued support for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). An additional 20 Senate Democrats also signed onto the letter.

With House Republicans calling for extreme cuts to CNCS programs like AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and VISTA, the Senators urged those on the Appropriations Subcommittee to continue their support. More than 500,000 people have participated in AmeriCorps since its creation in 1993 to provide vital services in communities across the United States. 

“AmeriCorps has a multiplier effect, yielding much more in benefits than we put into it in dollars,” the Senators wrote. “It has expanded the work of charitable organizations and spurred innovative partnerships between private and non-profit sectors.”

“We strongly believe that whatever cuts are made to the budget will need to be paired with strategic, long-term investments in economic growth and middle class job creation. AmeriCorps’s contribution to public safety, education, and housing do much to advance this agenda.”

A longtime advocate of community service, Senator Coons helped found one of the first AmeriCorps programs in Delaware, which recruited mentors for students participating in the "I Have a Dream Foundation" college-attainment program.  As New Castle County Executive, he was instrumental in the creation of the AmeriCorps-supported New Castle County Emergency Services Corps, which recruits volunteer firefighters and trains residents in CPR and First Aid, yielding significant savings to County taxpayers each year. 

The Dear Colleague letter, introduced by Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), was also signed by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Pat Leahy (D-Vt.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Mark Begich (D-A.K.), John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Al Franken (D-Minn.).

The text of the letter follows:

May 16, 2011

Dear Senators Harkin and Shelby,

Thank you for your strong support of national service in the long-term continuing resolution for FY11.  House Republicans proposed the virtual elimination of the Corporation for National and Community Service, so we are incredibly grateful that you maintained strong funding for national service activities.  We are writing in support of FY2012 funding for CNCS and its vital programs, such as AmeriCorps, which has enabled nearly 500,000 people across the United States to provide vital community services since its creation in 1993.  While we certainly recognize the threat posed by our deficit and the importance of a serious deficit reduction plan this year, we believe that the effective elimination of AmeriCorps, as called for in proposals such as H.R. 1, will do much more harm than good. 

AmeriCorps remains one of the most successful programs Congress has created in the past twenty years.  It was born of bipartisan cooperation and has been championed by leaders in both parties for enabling hundreds of thousands of young Americans to take a more active role in giving back to their communities.  AmeriCorps has a multiplier effect, yielding much more in benefits than we put into it in dollars.  It has expanded the work of charitable organizations and spurred innovative partnerships between the private and non-profit sectors.  AmeriCorps has contributed participants to programs like Teach for America, Habitat for Humanity, Public Allies, City Year, and the American Red Cross.  It also helps participants afford a college education through the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. 

We strongly believe that whatever cuts are made to the budget will need to be paired with strategic, long-term investments in economic growth and middle class job creation.  AmeriCorps’s contributions to public safety, education, and housing do much to advance this agenda.  We urge you to support continued funding for AmeriCorps and join us in acknowledging its importance to our future.

Sincerely,

Barbara A. Mikulski                                                                                                                      United States Senator                                                                                  

Christopher A. Coons

United States Senator

###