FILE - As President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton mark the 20th anniversary of the AmeriCorps national service program, hundreds of new volunteers are sworn in for duty at a ceremony, Friday, Sept. 12, 2014, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - As President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton mark the 20th anniversary of the AmeriCorps national service program, hundreds of new volunteers are sworn in for duty at a ceremony, Friday, Sept. 12, 2014, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
AmeriCorps placed most staff members on administrative leave with pay this week, effective immediately, according to a staff member and an internal memo shared with The Associated Press.
The memo from AmeriCorps’ interim director told staff that the administrative leave would remain in effect until future notice. It was sent Wednesday, the day after the agency’s National Civilian Community Corps members were informed that they would be . The dismissal of young volunteers came as the and the Department of Government Efficiency make cuts to .
About 15% of the agency’s staff remained active, according to an AmeriCorps staff member who provided the internal communications to the AP on condition of anonymity because the staff member was not authorized to do so. AmeriCorps employs more than 500 full-time federal workers and has an operating budget of roughly $1 billion.
“During the period that you are on administrative leave you are not to enter AmeriCorps premises, access AmeriCorps systems, or attempt to use your position or authority with AmeriCorps in any way without my prior permission or prior permission of a supervisor in your chain of command,” the memo reads.
The agency oversees a number of volunteering programs and dispatches 200,000 volunteers across the country to work with schoolchildren, veterans and older adults, among other things, according to its website. AmeriCorps NCCC, which completed its 30th year last year, employs more than 2,000 people ages 18 to 26 participating for a roughly 10-month service term, according to the program’s website.
A request for comment was left with AmeriCorps on Friday.
On Thursday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his state would sue to stop the program's dismantling the service program. The lawsuit had not yet been filed as of Friday afternoon and the California Department of Justice would not share details on what grounds they would sue.
“We’ve gone from the New Deal, the New Frontier, and the Great Society to a federal government that gives the middle finger to volunteers serving their fellow Americans,” the Democratic governor said in a statement.
AmeriCorps and NCCC have long been targets for possible budget cuts. NCCC funding amounted to nearly $38 million last fiscal year.
NCCC members are tasked with working on several projects related to education, housing, urban and rural development, land conservation, and disaster relief, driving from one assignment to another across the country.
AmeriCorps pays for volunteers’ basic expenses, including housing, meals and a “limited health benefit,” as well as a “modest” living allowance, according to the program. The program also provided members who complete their 1,700-hour service term with funding for future education expenses or to apply to certain student loans. That benefit was worth about $7,300 this service year.
The volunteers are especially visible , including last year and this year. The organization said on social media last month that teams have served 8 million service hours on nearly 3,400 disaster projects since 1999.
The dismantling of the agency will disrupt programs across the country and waste away decades of experience, said Jade Marshalek, a AmeriCorps NCCC member who was discharged this week. She was most recently in Seattle on a program helping people file their taxes.
“A lot more nonprofits and government organizations are going to need help,” she said.
