Senate Appropriations Bill Maintains Funding for AmeriCorps

The Senate delivered some good news for Americorps. The appropriations committee approved a spending bill that funds AmeriCorps at close to FY2025 levels. This means we’re a step closer to saving thousands of service positions every year that protect nature and manage our public lands.

This is encouraging considering the circumstances. The Trump administration has been trying to dismantle Americorps. Trump proposed eliminating  AmeriCorps entirely in his 2026 budget request. Thankfully, the Senate, in bipartisan fashion, rejected Trump’s extreme cuts.

Voices for National Service, the leading advocate specifically for AmeriCorps, expressed optimism after the outcome.  According to President AnnMaura Connolly:

We’re encouraged by the Senate Appropriations Committee’s bipartisan agreement to protect AmeriCorps funding. It’s a positive signal, and we deeply appreciate Chairwoman Capito and Ranking Member Baldwin’s leadership in securing that support.

However, this is just one step in a long appropriations process. Next step: the House will release their spending bill for AmeriCorps. And these bills will then need to be approved by the full chambers, reconciled with each other,  and signed by the president. So it’s a long road ahead.