Nevada joins lawsuit over sweeping AmeriCorps funding cuts

Nevada has sued the Trump administration for cutting the workforce and funding of an independent agency that runs one of the country’s most widely known volunteer program networks.

Attorney General Aaron Ford joined a lawsuit of 23 attorneys general and two states challenging the federal government’s termination of AmeriCorps grants and the dismantling of the agency through an 85 percent reduction of its workforce.

The cuts came as the administration has sought to reduce government expenditures as part of an effort to reduce the nation’s $1.3 billion budget deficit.

“This illegal action by the Trump administration has terminated AmeriCorps programs throughout Nevada, including educational programs for our children in Las Vegas, Reno and the rural areas of our state,” Ford, a Democrat, said in a Tuesday news release. “The Trump administration does not have the legal ability to dismantle this agency unilaterally. Congress has created AmeriCorps to give Americans the ability to help their communities during times of need, and the president cannot handwave away the decisions of Congress.”

On Friday, Nevada received notice from the federal government of the termination of eight AmeriCorps grant programs, according to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Maryland. The notification followed a February executive order that directed agencies to reduce their workforce size.

The White House did not respond to a Review-Journal request for comment on the lawsuit, but Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times that AmeriCorps has repeatedly failed audits in recent years, with millions in improper payments identified last year alone, and that the president “has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch,” the newspaper reported.

AmeriCorps invested $5.1 million in programs in Nevada, according to a report reviewing data from February 2024 to February 2025. Another $5 million was awarded to Nevada volunteers through the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, a program that awards funds to volunteers who meet certain requirements that they can use toward some student loans. More than 1,800 volunteers work at 191 locations in the state, including schools and homeless shelters.

Founded by President Bill Clinton in 1993, AmeriCorps works with more than 200,000 people annually who volunteer in community programs including school tutoring, disaster relief and preparedness, senior support and more.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.