Attorney General Aaron M. Frey Prevents $184 Million Cut to AmeriCorps Service Programs

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August 29, 2025
Attorney Generals Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact: Danna Hayes 

Danna.hayes@maine.gov

Attorney General Aaron M. Frey Prevents $184 Million Cut to AmeriCorps Service Programs

AUGUSTA –Attorney General Aaron M. Frey prevailed in preserving funding for AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) agreed to release more than $184 million in funding for AmeriCorps service programs across the country. OMB’s attempted cuts threatened the survival of those programs and the well-being of those who depend on them. 

On July 23, Attorney General Frey joined a coalition in filing an amended lawsuit challenging OMB’s attempt to gut AmeriCorps programs. Today, when their response for these actions was due in court, OMB and AmeriCorps instead agreed to fully release the previously withheld funds. 

“Americorps represents some of the best of American values: service, community, and opportunity,” said Attorney General Frey, “and Maine would have been deprived of this important, congressionally-funded Americorps programming had I not joined suit to enforce the law.  At the last minute, when required to provide legal justification as to why it withheld funds, the Administration instead did what it should have done from the beginning and released the funding.  In order to ensure Mainers receive the benefit of programs established under the law, I will continue to work with my colleagues to hold the Administration to account when its actions ignore what is legally required.”

On April 29, Attorney General Frey and the coalition challenged the administration’s plans to eliminate nearly 90 percent of AmeriCorps’ workforce, abruptly cancel its contracts, and close $400 million worth of AmeriCorps-supported programs. In June, the Court granted a preliminary injunction that reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs that were unlawfully cancelled and barred AmeriCorps from making similar cuts without formal rulemaking. Despite the order, OMB continued to withhold over $184 million intended for outstanding service programs, including AmeriCorps Seniors programs, and many programs funded with highly competitive federal grants. 

Because the Trump administration withheld these critical resources, the coalition filed an amended lawsuit in July that added OMB as a defendant. On August 8, Attorney General Frey and the coalition filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, asking for an order to stop OMB from withholding the relevant funds. The Trump administration’s response was due today, August 28. Rather than oppose the states’ motion, the administration instead informed the Court that OMB would release all withheld AmeriCorps funds, totaling over $184 million, which AmeriCorps will distribute to programs nationwide, as quickly as possible.  

This relief means that service programs across the country will be protected from the administration’s devastating attempted cuts. 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.

Last year, Maine had approximately 2,200 AmeriCorps members and $8.6 million in federal funding for operations that serve veterans, seniors, and disaster victims, among others. The Trump administration’s previous termination of $400 million worth of AmeriCorps programs and the recent OMB withholding of funds threatened these service programs in Maine and other states. 

Attorney General Frey was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, 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 in filing the lawsuit.

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