Press Release  AG Campbell Secures Settlement Blocking Trump Administration From Repeating AmeriCorps Cuts

Boston — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two governors, has reached a settlement that stops the Trump Administration from dismantling AmeriCorps again without warning. The deal resolves a lawsuit brought by AG Campbell and the coalition in response to the Administration’s repeated attempts to gut the nation’s volunteer service programs.  

Previously, as a result of the lawsuit, the Trump Administration was forced to reinstate nearly $400 million in terminated AmeriCorps programs and agreed to release over $184 million in funds to service programs in Massachusetts and across the country. The cuts prevented by the lawsuit had threatened the survival of those programs—including more than $31 million in Massachusetts for programs and service members. This settlement cements these protections through the end of Fiscal Year 2026. 

“AmeriCorps members are part of the fabric of communities across Massachusetts, helping our schools, supporting public health, and connecting residents with critical services. This settlement helps ensure those opportunities remain available to people across the Commonwealth who want to serve their neighbors while gaining valuable work experience and leadership skills,” said AG Campbell. “As the Trump Administration tries to dismantle programs that Massachusetts communities rely on, I will continue to stand up to protect these opportunities.”   

AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs by funding and placing volunteers in local and national organizations that address critical community needs. Organizations rely on support from AmeriCorps to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide. In Massachusetts, AmeriCorps members and volunteers participate in programs for the City of Boston and the City of Lawrence, as well as a program at Framingham State University that provides residency for those looking to begin their careers in teaching and supports teachers-in-training who commit to teaching in Framingham Public Schools for a minimum of three years.   

The settlement protects current AmeriCorps funding and, should the Administration decide to make any material change to its delivery of volunteer services in the future, it must provide the coalition states with written notice at least 30 days in advance and identify the legal authority under which it is taking the action. 

AmeriCorps has also agreed to commit a substantial amount of its Fiscal Year 2026 funding by September 30, 2026, and to administer its National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and AmeriCorps VISTA programs in accordance with the federal statutes that govern them. Under the settlement, AmeriCorps may not disrupt the current terms of service of NCCC or VISTA participants, except under specific, lawful circumstances detailed in the settlement. 

The settlement pauses the litigation through February 1, 2027, at which point the coalition will voluntarily dismiss the case without prejudice, provided AmeriCorps has complied with its commitments. Should the coalition determine that AmeriCorps has not complied, it may ask the court to lift the stay and resume litigation. The coalition also retains the right to challenge other unlawful conduct by AmeriCorps, whether through an amended complaint during the stay or a new action during or after the stay.  

The coalition initiated the litigation in April 2025, after the Trump Administration moved to eliminate nearly 90 percent of AmeriCorps’ workforce, cancel its contracts, and close $400 million worth of AmeriCorps-supported programs. In June 2025, a federal court granted the coalition’s motion for a preliminary injunction requiring the administration to reinstate programs that had been unlawfully canceled. Then in August 2025, following a further motion for preliminary injunction by the coalition, the federal Office of Management and Budget agreed to release more than $184 million in AmeriCorps funding it had withheld. 

Joining AG Campbell in securing the settlement are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania. 

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