Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear celebrated the White House’s decision to release funding it had initially cancelled for AmeriCorps. Beshear, alongside officials in 23 other states and the District of Columbia, sued the Trump administration earlier this year. They alleged the nearly $400 million in funds were being illegally withheld.
Beshear’s office said the Trump administration agreed to release the remainder of the funds following an injunction against the administration in June.
Kentucky’s AmeriCorps service commission, Serve Kentucky, will receive more than $9 million as a result. The volunteerism organization focuses on issues including housing development, disaster relief, fighting hunger and family support.
“AmeriCorps and Serve Kentucky make our people, communities and country stronger by providing food, housing support, education, mental health services and more, and it was illegal and short-sighted for the President’s administration to try and dismantle this independent federal agency,” Beshear said in a statement.
Last year, more than 5,200 AmeriCorps members operated in 783 service locations throughout Kentucky, according to Americorps. That represents more than $28 million in federal funding.
After the June injunction, the Democrat-led coalition alleged the White House continued to withhold funds. The coalition amended their lawsuit in July and on the deadline to respond to a new request for an injunction, the administration told the courts it would finally release all of the Americorp funding.
Beshear has frequently joined Democratic attorneys general in challenging the Trump administration, alongside Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, in representing the state in such lawsuits instead of Kentucky’s Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman. Beshear has joined lawsuits over rescinded funding for public health, education, unemployment insurance and electric vehicle chargers.
Beshear pointed to the restoration of education funds, which the Trump administration released after a coalition of state officials sued.
“These funds aren’t about Democrat or Republican — they were appropriated by Congress for the education of Kentuckians, and I’m proud we were able to get them back,” Beshear said.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
