Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a multistate coalition of 25 states and attorneys general, announced a settlement in his lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle the AmeriCorps agency and terminate AmeriCorps grants. The settlement ensures the Trump administration cannot attempt to dismantle the independent federal agency by engaging in mass layoffs or mass grant terminations without legal authority or warning.
As a result of the lawsuit filed by Raoul and the coalition, the Trump administration was forced to reinstate nearly $400 million in terminated AmeriCorps programs and agreed to release over $184 million in funds to service programs in Illinois and across the country. The cuts had threatened the survival of those programs, many of which served students, veterans and individuals experiencing homelessness, including throughout Illinois. The settlement protects this funding and participants of those programs through fiscal year 2026.
“This settlement will ensure the hundreds of thousands of Americans who annually participate in AmeriCorps-funded programs and services will be able to continue to serve their communities,” Raoul said. “Congress created AmeriCorps, and the president does not have the authority to dismantle the agency simply because he disfavors it. I will continue to fight back against this administration’s illegal actions and for the rule of law in America.”
AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs by funding and placing volunteers in local and national organizations that address critical community needs. Organizations rely on support from AmeriCorps to recruit, place and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide.
Joining Raoul in announcing this settlement are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
