By: Richard L. Smith
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced another courtroom win in the fight to preserve AmeriCorps funding, safeguarding vital community service programs across the state and nation.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) agreed this week to release more than $184 million in AmeriCorps funds that had been withheld, money that supports seniors programs and highly competitive grant-funded initiatives nationwide. 
The decision comes just months after Platkin and a coalition of Attorneys General blocked an earlier attempt to slash AmeriCorps’ workforce by nearly 90 percent and eliminate $400 million in contracts.
On April 29, the coalition challenged the Trump Administration’s sweeping plan to dismantle AmeriCorps.
In June, a federal court sided with the states, issuing an injunction that restored hundreds of unlawfully canceled programs and prevented similar cuts without proper rulemaking.
Despite that ruling, OMB continued to freeze $184 million in awards, prompting further legal action in July.
Rather than fight the coalition’s August 8 motion for an injunction, OMB relented and notified the court it would release the full amount. AmeriCorps is now expected to distribute those funds nationwide “as quickly as possible.”
“When the Trump Administration targeted AmeriCorps and hurt communities across our state, we vowed to fight back—and today we have won,” said Attorney General Platkin.
“This funding will help New Jersey residents and ensure AmeriCorps’ volunteers, who serve our communities at no cost, can continue their critical work. We will never stop fighting for New Jersey when this Administration or anyone else attempts to hurt our state.”
AmeriCorps places volunteers in thousands of local and national organizations to meet critical community needs. 
In New Jersey, those members serve in programs supporting addiction recovery, adult English-language education, mentoring for children with special needs, urban environmental initiatives, and disaster recovery and relief efforts.
Today’s ruling ensures that these life-changing programs will continue to operate without disruption, preserving both the volunteers who dedicate themselves to service and the residents who rely on their support.