California joins the state’s coalition on Tuesday, suing the Trump administration for massive cuts to Americaorps, a federal program that deploys hundreds of thousands of volunteers each year to natural disaster sites and other poor communities in California. General Rob Bonta said.
Bonta said the Trump administration and its government’s efficiency is acting illegally by unilaterally x programs established and funded by Congress to support the country’s destroyed areas at times, such as Los Angeles after the recent wildfires.
“By suddenly canceling critical grants and blocking Americaorps workforce and volunteering, Doge is dismantling Americaorps for thousands of people ready and wanting to serve the country, or for those whose communities are stronger because of this public service,” Bonta said in a statement.
“California has repeatedly filed lawsuits against the Trump administration and has repeatedly taken action to hold the law accountable,” he said.
The lawsuit does something good with a promise from Gov. Gavin Newsom that the state will appeal to dismantle Americaorps almost two weeks ago.
The lawsuit, which lands on Trump’s 100th day in office, is the 16th lawsuit filed by Bonta’s office against the current administration. This is the pace of fierce lawsuits that put the nation at the forefront of democratic Trump resistance. California has joined other states in all but one of these cases, and has officially supported litigators against the administration in almost 20 additional cases.
The Trump administration recently condemned the barrage of lawsuits in a statement from the California era, calling the lawsuit a misguided attempt to block the president’s agenda.
“In recent years, California’s dreams have been transformed into nightmares of California’s surges and the dystopian scene of homelessness and outdoor drug use,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai. “The Trump administration is trying to restore America’s greatness, and if California Democrats work with us, then at least if they don’t throw away taxpayer resources along the way, the people in California will be infinitely better.”
Since he took office in January, Trump has been trying to reduce the size of the federal government, claiming that waste and fraud are ramping, especially with the help of Doge and billionaire adviser Elon Musk, with the help of his “wake-up” programs that support liberal ideology and provide government support. Pursuing that vision, Trump issued an executive order in February asking federal agencies to fundamentally scale back their businesses.
Since then, Americaorps has placed around 85% of its workforce on administrative leave and has notified employees that they will be fired as of June, Bonta’s office said. And on Friday, more than 1,000 volunteers working on grants for Americaorps in California and within the state were notified by the administration that the grants had ended, Bonta’s office said.
Democrats, including many state attorney generals, have argued for the power of Congress over federal wallet strings, a false attack on government services that harms the average American paying for the rich’s tax credits.
In announcing the Americorps lawsuit, Bonta’s office alleged widespread harm to California, which invested more than $133 million last year, primarily through partnerships with local groups and organizations.
More than 6,150 California members were sent to more than 1,200 locations last year, including food banks, shelters, youth centers, schools and churches, Bonta’s office said.
“When Los Angeles fired millions earlier this year, American members appeared to distribute supplies and support their families until the Trump administration ended the program and sent them home on hours of notification,” Bonta’s office said.
According to its website, Americaorps operates around 200,000 volunteers nationwide. The agency’s All National Community Corps employs more than 2,000 young Americans, ages 18-26, serving as a 10-month condition of service. Americorps covers basic expenses such as housing, diet and health benefits, covering future education expenses (approximately $7,300 per year of service this year) for members paying what is known as “conservative” living allowances and completing the terms of the 1,700 hour service.
From 2023-24, Newsom’s Office planted nearly 40,000 bottles of nearly 6,300 Americanorps members in California, working hours of around 4.4 million, providing education and employment support to 17,000 foster children and young people.
Volunteers at Americaorps also said they are supporting 26,000 households that have been negatively affected by the Los Angeles fire, including packing 21,000 food boxes.
Bonta’s office, along with attorney generals in Colorado, Delaware and Maryland, is leading the lawsuit the state will be filed Tuesday.
In addition to suing Americaorps Cuts, Newsom says California is accelerating adoption of the California Services Corps program, which also relies on federal funds.
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