Rep. Cleo Fields and Rep. Troy Carter Write to President Trump on DOGE Eliminating AmeriCorps Programming in Louisiana
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, House Democrats Congressman Cleo Fields (LA-06) and Troy A. Carter, Sr. (LA-02) issued the following statements in response to the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE choice to slash AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) operations, significantly reducing staff by 85%, and terminating over 1,000 active FY24 grants nationwide.
After hearing concerns from Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Congressman Fields and Congressman Carter sent a letter to President Trump and Jennifer Bastress Tahmasebi, Interim Agency Head of AmeriCorps, urging the Administration to immediately halt further implementation of these terminations, reinstate suspended grants where feasible, and fully restore AmeriCorps NCCC and other essential service functions. The Congressmen also requested a full accounting of the legal basis and decision-making process behind these actions, including documentation of any cost analysis and compliance with statutory requirements for grant termination.
“The communities of Louisiana—and indeed the nation—rely on AmeriCorps to strengthen civic engagement, reduce poverty, and respond to disasters. Now more than ever, we cannot afford to abandon this mission or the thousands of members who have pledged to serve,” Rep. Fields wrote to President Trump.
“The abrupt termination of the AmeriCorps VISTA program, NCCC operations, and staff reduction is more than a bureaucratic budget cut — it is a betrayal of service, community, and compassion. These cuts will devastate the very fabric of support that helps lift underserved communities in New Orleans, across Louisiana, and throughout our nation,” said Rep. Carter.
“It is ironic, and deeply disheartening, that the very workers who answered the call to serve are now being cast aside in the name of ‘efficiency.’ There is nothing efficient about abandoning communities in need. There is nothing fiscally responsible about dismantling programs that yield tenfold returns in civic trust, resilience, and recovery,” Rep. Carter continued.
The full contents of the letter are attached below.
Dear President Trump and Interim Agency Head Tahmasebi,
I am writing to express deep concern over the recent actions by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to suspend AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) operations, significantly reduce staff by 85%, and terminate over 1,000 active FY24 grants nationwide. These decisions are already having a devastating effect in Louisiana and threaten to irreparably damage essential services across our state.
According to data provided by AmeriCorps and Volunteer Louisiana, these terminations will cut approximately 80% of all current AmeriCorps State and National grant awards and impact over 32,000 AmeriCorps members across the country. In Louisiana alone, thirteen active grants have been affected— four AmeriCorps VISTA projects and nine AmeriCorps State grants awarded through the Volunteer Louisiana Commission, which now faces the loss of over 60% of its grant portfolio (9 of 14 programs).
These programs are not abstract line items; they represent boots-on-the-ground service to some of Louisiana’s most vulnerable communities. The four impacted AmeriCorps VISTA programs help build sustainable, long-term solutions to poverty by supporting nonprofits and community organizations in areas such as education, public health, climate resilience, and access to public benefits. Activities include vital functions such as grant writing, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and data analysis—all work that would otherwise be unaffordable to these organizations.
The nine affected AmeriCorps State programs represent the frontlines of service in Louisiana communities, with members delivering critical supports like after-school tutoring, early childhood education, mentorship, supplemental nutrition assistance, and blighted property remediation. These programs serve over 49,765 Louisianans annually, including children, seniors, veterans, and low-income families. Without them, these services will simply vanish.
Moreover, these actions appear fiscally and legally indefensible. While the total value of the terminated grants stands at approximately $400 million, we are now nine months into the FY24 service year. It is highly likely that upwards of $300 million has already been expended by grantees. Cutting programs at this stage in the service year will do little to generate savings and will instead result in waste, disruption, and reputational harm to AmeriCorps as a trusted national institution.
Worse still, the termination process appears to have violated statutory requirements governing federal grant agreements. According to law, grant terminations must be based on a documented cause of noncompliance, and grant recipients must be given a minimum seven-day notice and a right to appeal. To date, none of these procedural safeguards have been afforded to the affected organizations. The lack of transparency and disregard for due process is unacceptable and undermines trust in AmeriCorps leadership and operations.
I urge you to immediately halt further implementation of these terminations, reinstate suspended grants where feasible, and fully restore AmeriCorps NCCC and other essential service functions. In addition, I request a full accounting of the legal basis and decision-making process behind these actions, including documentation of any cost analysis and compliance with statutory requirements for grant termination.
The communities of Louisiana—and indeed the nation—rely on AmeriCorps to strengthen civic engagement, reduce poverty, and respond to disasters. Now more than ever, we cannot afford to abandon this mission or the thousands of members who have pledged to serve.
Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.