By: Amelia Ferrell Knisely
for West Virginia Watch
www.westvirginiawatch.com
West Virginia has declined to join states suing the Trump administration to block the cancellation of AmeriCorps programs.
Federal officials abruptly slashed $440 million in funds for the long-standing volunteer service program and put most of its administrative members on leave.
More than 200 AmeriCorps members have already lost their jobs in West Virginia, and the program’s budget reduction will affect the state’s workforce development, after-school programs, housing construction through Habitat for Humanity and more.
About two dozen states, including Kentucky and Pennsylvania, said in a lawsuit filed Apr. 29 that President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency illegally gutted AmeriCorps.
“If the Defendants’ actions are permitted to stand despite their statutory and constitutional defects, then the gutting of AmeriCorps will inflict immediate and irreparable harms on the Plaintiff States, their residents, and the public at large,” reads the lawsuit, which was filed in Maryland federal court.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Attorney General J.B. McCuskey didn’t sign on to the suit. A spokesperson for McCuskey’s office didn’t return a request for comment.
A spokesperson for Morrisey said on Friday that, “The governor believes most matters can be solved through collaboration and communication rather than lawsuits. The governor will continue to fight to protect all West Virginians and will work diligently to help all those impacted.”
While serving as attorney general, Morrisey took on numerous fights against the Biden administration, including lawsuits fighting air quality rules and the former president’s border policy.
The White House has pointed to improper payments and failed audits as justification for the cuts. “AmeriCorps has failed eight consecutive audits and is entrusted with over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars every year,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told the Washington Post.
AmeriCorps oversees a number of programs that dispatch hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of people to service opportunities around the country.
“In an attempt to dismantle the agency, the Trump administration and its DOGE demolition team made abrupt and drastic cuts to staff and volunteers and terminated grants,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in a statement. “We are suing to stop this illegal dismantling of AmeriCorps and preserve the spirit of community service in our state and nation.”
Last year, the program connected nearly 3,000 AmeriCorps members with project opportunities in West Virginia. The lawsuit listed several cities where Americorps volunteers are currently serving, including Charleston, Fairmont, Weston and Wheeling.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, now a high-ranking member of the Senate, told MetroNews that the news was of great concern to her. “There’s no doubt that the core functions that AmeriCorps is performing in a state like ours are pretty critical to fill gaps where we cannot fill them on our own,” she said. “So, I would say this is new news, and we’re going to help them work through this.”
West Virginia Watch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. West Virginia Watch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Leann Ray for questions: info@westvirginiawatch.com.
