MD among states suing Trump administration over AmeriCorps cuts

Maryland is among the 24 states and Washington, D.C., that sued the Trump administration Tuesday for its cuts to AmeriCorps, the federal agency for service and volunteerism.

Attorney General Anthony Brown has joined more than a dozen lawsuits this year against actions from the Trump administration, including on Friday, when Maryland was one of 19  states that filed a lawsuit to block the U.S. Department of Education from withholding funding from agencies that refuse to follow a directive on eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs and policies in public schools.

UPDATE: After AmeriCorps cuts, MD officials responding to ‘subsistence-level challenges’

In Tuesday’s suit against the AmeriCorps cuts, which was filed in federal court in Baltimore, the coalition has contended that the administration’s attempt to dismantle the agency will cripple its ability to administer programs and services across the country.

“President Trump’s unlawful dismantling of AmeriCorps is a direct attack on the communities that rely on national service to survive and thrive,” Brown said in a statement. “In Maryland alone, programs that educate children, care for the elderly, and rebuild homes are being wiped out overnight.”

The independent federal agency supports national and state service programs with funding and by placing more than 200,000 volunteers in communities across the country, including nearly 5,000 in Maryland.

Gov. Wes Moore, who has made service a core focus for his administration, on Tuesday urged Trump officials to reconsider their actions dismantling the agency.

“Since the beginning of my administration, I have said ‘service will save us.’ I believe serving others is core to being an American,” Moore said in a statement. “Seeing yet another direct attack on public servants who simply want to make it easier for others to serve their communities runs counter to who we are as a country.”

In Maryland, the agency’s members and volunteers work as public school teachers, connect veterans to services, fight the opioid epidemic, help seniors live independently, rebuild communities after disasters and lead conservation efforts, the governor said.

“If the federal administration wants to strengthen our country’s resolve, bridge divides, and usher in our next era of greatness, it should be expanding opportunities for Americans to serve one another,” he said.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration abruptly placed 85% of the agency’s workforce on leave and announced plans to terminate roughly $400 million in grant programs.

In Maryland, the order revoked more than $12 million and closed more than 20 programs. On Friday, the state received notice that Frostburg State University’s ASTAR service program and the Maryland Conservation Corps to bring young people into natural resource management and park conservation projects had been terminated, according to the attorney general’s office.

The coalition suing the Trump administration has challenged its decision to place 85% of the agency’s staff on leave, deliver reduction-in-force notices and terminate the National Civilian Community Corps, and its orders to cancel contracts and close $400 million worth of programs, according to Brown’s office.

Brown and other coalition members have contended that the Trump administration has violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how agencies develop and issue regulations, and violated the separation of powers under the U.S. Constitution, stating that the administration exceeded its lawful authority by moving to dismantle an agency established by Congress.