Politicians and civil servants who served in AmeriCorps argue that the Trump administration’s sharp cuts to the agency endanger the future of U.S. public service.
In a call with The Washington Post, the senator said the experience was “transformative.”
“It allowed me to live and serve in a community that otherwise struggled to afford a full-time staff,” he said. “It helped me, and it changed my career.”
The Trump administration is now paring back the agency — and politicians and civil servants such as Fetterman who began their careers in AmeriCorps are warning that dismantling it endangers the future of U.S. public service. Last week, the White House put most of the agency’s roughly 650 full-time staff members on paid administrative leave “effective immediately,” essentially shuttering an organization that oversees hundreds of thousands of volunteers nationwide.
On Wednesday, Democratic Sens. Chris Coons (Delaware) and Martin Heinrich (New Mexico) — the first AmeriCorps alumnus to be elected to the Senate — sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reverse his cuts to the agency. Forty-four senators and 105 House members — all Democrats — co-signed the letter, including Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (New York).
“We are deeply concerned these actions will prevent the agency from continuing to deliver critical services, which include supporting veterans, fighting wildfires, tutoring in schools, combating the fentanyl epidemic, and much more,” the lawmakers wrote.
Spokespeople for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Through AmeriCorps, the lawmakers argue, young Americans are exposed to community work and civic engagement at little expense to the federal government.
AmeriCorps costs the government “pennies to the dollar,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pennsylvania), an Air Force veteran who served in Teach for America in Philadelphia through AmeriCorps. Her experience teaching high school chemistry, she said, gave her a sense of purpose and shaped the way she tackled education policy as a lawmaker. She also credited the experience for helping her get started in public service, as it has for many alumni.
“It’s a selfless act to serve, but you are gaining experience, and you are able to parlay that into opportunities in the civilian economy,” she said.
Houlahan has led bipartisan efforts in the House to protect the agency. Alongside Reps. Doris Matsui (D-California), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania) and Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), she introduced a measure that would block federal cuts to AmeriCorps. Separately, the lawmakers sent the White House a letter earlier this month demanding that Trump work with Congress on any proposed cuts to the organization.
In a statement to The Post, Fitzpatrick spokeswoman Casey-Lee Waldron said the Pennsylvania Republican — a former FBI agent — believes AmeriCorps is a “vital pillar of national service.”
“That’s why he’s fighting to protect AmeriCorps from cuts and will continue working across the aisle to ensure it remains a national priority,” Waldron said.
Heinrich said spending a year with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the program was crucial in shaping how he serves his constituents in the Senate.
“It taught me that there is nothing more rewarding than serving others,” Heinrich told The Post in an email.
Shutting down AmeriCorps would have immediate effects for New Mexico, Heinrich said.
“I will not stand idly by now as programs built to serve our most vulnerable populations and support our public institutions are dismantled as a result of the DOGE boys’ efforts to line billionaire pockets,” he said, referring to the U.S. DOGE Service. He called the Trump administration’s cuts “a slap in the face to hardworking families who rely on the work done by AmeriCorps every day.”
It’s not clear, however, if the lawmakers’ efforts to save AmeriCorps will succeed.
Houlahan told The Post that while she’s heartened by the fact that some GOP House members are willing to defend the program against Trump, she doesn’t expect her legislation to reach the House floor, given that Republicans run the chamber. As of noon Wednesday, no Senate Republicans had signed Coons and Heinrich’s letter defending the agency. A spokesman for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Along with Fetterman, Heinrich and Houlahan, four other members of Congress — Reps. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin), Seth Magaziner (D-Rhode Island), Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) and Kevin Kiley (R-California) — are AmeriCorps alumni. Kiley, the only Republican alumnus in the House, did not respond to a request for comment on the agency’s future. Spokespeople for Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy (Louisiana) and Susan Collins (Maine), who have long supported the program, also did not respond to requests for comment on Trump’s cuts.
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