Trump administration cuts to the federal community service agency AmeriCorps are having major impacts on nonprofits and corps members in Connecticut.
According to the Connecticut Commission on Community Service in the state Office of Higher Education, 183 AmeriCorps members have had their service terminated, impacting 46 organizations reliant on their help. Their missions range from disaster relief to health care access, from academic mentoring to environmental conservation.
“It's no exaggeration to say that these terminations pull the rug out from the very people in communities we most need to help and support,” said Tim Larson, head of the Office of Higher Education, at a Wednesday press conference.
“Ending these programs is now like braking the engine of a train while traveling uphill,” Larson said. “The work is just beginning to show results, and now the president and DOGE have slammed the brakes here in Connecticut.”
According to the state, $4.24 million in AmeriCorps grants were terminated in Connecticut.
Abrupt terminations hit vulnerable CT communities hardest
Giovanna Mozzo is the director of The Hub at Catalyst CT, a behavioral health and substance use disorder organization for southwestern Connecticut. The initiative relies on AmeriCorps members that are part of a program called Prevention Corps, which focuses on combating the opioid crisis.
“Losing this resource means fewer opportunities for outreach, delayed project implementation, and, ultimately, gaps in care and prevention, especially in under-resourced areas,” Mozzo said.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of the AmeriCorps programs,” she said. “They not only strengthen individual organizations like ours, but also ensure a continuous pipeline of skilled, passionate professionals who are prepared to tackle the most pressing health and social issues facing Connecticut today.”
Colleen Brown was a second-year corps member with HEALTHForward, a state AmeriCorps program aimed at health education in underserved communities.
“It’s been really tough,” Brown said. She says her organization, the Health Education Center in Norwich, has resources to keep her on through the end of the school year, but her AmeriCorps living stipend has been cut.
“It’s been very negatively impactful,” she said. “But we’re not throwing in the towel just because we’ve been told to.”
Emma Preuss served with the New England Science & Sailing Foundation’s STEM Education Ambassadors program, introducing New London public school students to environmental stewardship and ocean activities like sailing, kayaking and snorkeling. She said she sees the cuts as not about her and her fellow corps members, but about the children they served.
“The students we serve have become like family, and the community members we serve, and that's honestly the biggest thing on my mind all the time, is wondering if they're wondering where we are,” Preuss said.
Elected officials object
Gov. Ned Lamont offered his vocal support for the affected volunteers and community organizations at Wednesday’s press conference.
“I'm a little sick of DOGE myself,” Lamont said. “I mean, I thought DOGE was all about waste, fraud and abuse – and sign me up if that's what it's about – but I’ve got to tell you, AmeriCorps has nothing to do with waste, fraud and abuse.”
“This is just really hard-hearted, short-sighted and just not true,” the governor continued. “If you think it's all about waste, fraud and abuse, listen to the stories you just heard here. They're making a difference in people's lives, and DOGE is doing just the opposite.”
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong last month joined two dozen states in suing to stop the cuts to AmeriCorps.
“Gutting AmeriCorps is an irrational, cruel and lawless blow to communities across Connecticut and the proud, longstanding tradition of giving back in our country,” Tong said. “Trump has zero authority to bypass Congress to unilaterally dismantle this important work.”
