Delaware, AmeriCorps win key court battle
States win preliminary injunction, restoring funding for key AmeriCorps programs nationwide 

A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction restoring key funding for the national service program AmeriCorps following a lawsuit co-led by Attorney General Kathy Jennings and joined by 23 states and the District of Columbia.  

AmeriCorps, an independent federal agency tasked with engaging the nation in meaningful community service that directly addresses the country’s educational, public safety, and environmental needs, provides service opportunities to more than 200,000 Americans every year. In April, Jennings and a coalition of 24 states sued to block the Trump Administration’s attempt to effectively incapacitate the agency by reducing its workforce by nearly 90%. 

Under the injunction, the Trump Administration must restore all terminated AmeriCorps grants and programs, and return to service all impacted AmeriCorps members, AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) members, and National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members, in Delaware and the other plaintiff states 

“This was a cruel and foolish policy from the beginning,” said Attorney General Jennings. “‘Saving’ fractions of a penny by defunding children’s literacy programs, while going to the mat to rack up trillions in deficits for handouts to billionaires, tells you all you need to know about this president’s priorities. The AmeriCorps cuts had no basis in necessity, logic, or moral purpose. The Court recognized that, and today the rule of law won.” 

 “AmeriCorps members and their commitment to serving others represent the heart of America,” said U.S. Senator Chris Coons. “Trump’s attempts to cut AmeriCorps are an attack on our communities and an attack on our nation’s rule of law. I’m glad Attorney General Jennings is standing up for our communities, AmeriCorps members, and our Constitution, and I’m confident she’ll continue to triumph over this reckless and cruel administration in the courts.” 

 “AmeriCorps provides essential services—education, disaster relief, job training, public health support—to communities across our country that are too often overlooked and underserved,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “Cutting these programs is not just short-sighted—it’s reckless. It rips away lifelines from hard-working Americans to fund tax breaks for billionaires. I’m deeply grateful to Attorney General Kathy Jennings for recognizing the urgency and humanity of this issue and Judge Deborah Boardman for restoring funding so thousands of AmeriCorps members can continue their life-changing work. In Delaware, we will continue to invest in programs to lift people up — not destroy critical services people rely on every day.”   

In the injunction, Judge Deborah L. Boardman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland found that the Trump Administration likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act, and that Delaware and other states would be irreparably harmed if the cuts were allowed to move forward. 

AmeriCorps support national and state community service programs both through direct service opportunities and through grants to local and national organizations. These organizations and agencies use AmeriCorps funding to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide. AmeriCorps members and volunteers have connected veterans to essential services, fought the opioid epidemic, helped older adults age with dignity, rebuilt communities after disasters, and improved the physical and mental well-being of millions of Americans. 

In Delaware, those organizations include West End Neighborhood House, Children’s Beach House, and Reading Assist, among others. 

“We’re deeply grateful for Attorney General Jennings and Delaware’s ongoing support of our tutors and students,” said Caroline O’Neal, CEO of Reading Assist. “Our dedicated Fellows help change lives and we need to preserve this incredible program. This year, 90% of students reached key reading benchmarks, and 83% of kindergarteners are now reading on grade level.” 

The cuts blocked in today’s injunction threatened more than $1 million in grants to nine Delaware organizations: 

• Reading Assist ($305,370) 

• Children’s Beach House ($283,500) 

• WeProsper Family Organization ($132,300) 

• Leading Youth Through Empowerment ($130,941) 

• Literacy Volunteers Serving Adults Northern Delaware ($129,330) 

• West End Neighborhood House ($120,879) 

• TeenSHARP ($49,140) 

• Family Promise of Northern New Castle County ($40,721) 

• Spur Impact Association ($40,720) 

Delaware is a lead state on this lawsuit, along with Maryland, California, and Colorado. They are joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, along with the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania. 

AG Jennings was supported in its filing by the Office of Sen. Chris Coons, the Office of Gov. Matt Meyer, the Delaware Department of Health & Social Services, the Delaware Office of Volunteerism, the Delaware Division of Libraries, Reading Assist, Literacy Delaware, West End Neighborhood House, and Children’s Beach House, among many others concerned about the effects of terminating AmeriCorps programs in Delaware. 

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