Kentucky, 23 States Win Lawsuit Restoring $400M AmeriCorps Funding

Kentucky, alongside 22 other states and the District of Columbia, successfully won a lawsuit to restore more than $9 million in AmeriCorps funding that President Donald Trump's administration had attempted to freeze and dismantle. The multistate legal challenge, joined by Governor Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, secured an injunction in June preventing the termination of nearly $400 million in AmeriCorps programs. Following the injunction, the Trump administration agreed to release the remaining funds rather than continuing to contest the lawsuit, ensuring the full appropriation of AmeriCorps grants to the states. Serve Kentucky, the state's AmeriCorps service commission, focuses on addressing housing development, hunger, family support, education, disaster relief, and mental health services. Governor Beshear emphasized that the funds were legally appropriated by Congress and that the restoration represents a victory for the people and communities served by AmeriCorps, underscoring the importance of the agency's contributions beyond partisan politics. The lawsuit included Democratic attorneys general from numerous states, signaling a broad coalition opposing the federal funding freeze.