By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Gov. Andy Beshear issued a statement after he and several state attorneys general secured a preliminary injunction on Thursday in a legal challenge against President Donald Trump’s administration’s attempt to dismantle AmeriCorps, the nation’s public service agency.
“The Trump Administration’s move to dismantle this independent federal agency is both shortsighted and illegal,” Beshear said. “AmeriCorps-sponsored programs provide crucial community-based education, work and service opportunities for tens of thousands of Americans in Kentucky and across the nation. The funds they seek to revoke were appropriated by Congress and cannot be withheld or taken away.”
On Feb. 13, the Governor announced that his office was joining a national lawsuit to challenge the freezing of some federal payments. At the time, Gov. Beshear said the state had already paid more than $7 million that the federal government was obligated to reimburse.
Then, on April 29, Gov. Beshear joined others in filing a lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration’s dismantling of AmeriCorps. Others represented in the lawsuit include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.
Arguments on the preliminary injunction motion occurred in May in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
AmeriCorps traces its lineage back to the VISTA Program, Volunteers in Service to America, which was founded in 1964. In 1993, AmeriCorps, then known as the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), is formed as the government agency for national and community service. AmeriCorps incorporates the VISTA and NCCC programs. AmeriCorps Seniors (then Senior Corps) is created and incorporates Foster Grandparents, RSVP, Senior Companions.
Its mission is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering.