Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson has joined over 20 other states in suing over the dismissal of congressionally approved grants that aid in western North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene.
AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps, which provides volunteers throughout the country who help communities during times of need, notified the state that several grant programs serving western North Carolina would be cut off. Eight of the 19 AmeriCorps programs in the state are being cut, including:
- Project MARS (Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC): employs 45 people who served 18 western North Carolina counties after Hurricane Helene by delivering supplies and meals to homebound and stranded families, distributing food and clothing, assisting shelters and crisis hotlines, and supporting schools as they reopened.
- Project Conserve: employs 25 people who partnered with local organizations in 25 western North Carolina counties after Hurricane Helene to perform debris removal, tree replanting, storm-system repairs, and rain-barrel distribution.
- Project POWER: employs 14 people who assisted more than 10,500 disaster-affected individuals in Buncombe, Henderson, and Madison counties by coordinating large-scale food donations, setting up distribution sites, conducting wellness checks, and managing cleanup efforts.
Jackson and the other attorneys general argue that AmeriCorps is violating the Constitution by ending grant programs already approved by Congress.
“These funds – which Congress already appropriated for North Carolina – are creating jobs, cleaning up storm damage, and helping families rebuild,” said Jackson. “AmeriCorps must follow the law so that people in western North Carolina can confidently move forward.”
The termination of the affected programs comes with the termination of 202 jobs, and in addition to cutting these vital funds, AmeriCorps fired 50 volunteers who were actively working in western North Carolina.
The release of 50 volunteers in North Carolina was a part of the 750 volunteers nationwide that AmeriCorps let go after they lost federal funding, as the Trump administration continues to erase crucial government services and force out employees.
Read the full press release here and the full complaint filed here.
