Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford has filed a lawsuit against the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), challenging the Trump administration’s decision to withhold tens of millions of dollars from AmeriCorps, a national volunteer public service agency. The legal action is joined by 23 other attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
Earlier this year, a court order secured by Ford and the coalition reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs that had been canceled without proper rulemaking. The order also prevented AmeriCorps from making similar cuts in the future without following formal procedures. Despite this ruling, OMB is reportedly withholding significant funds intended for ongoing service programs, which supporters say threatens both their operation and the communities they serve.
“We have won in this matter already, and I am confident that the courts will continue to side with us going forward," said AG Ford. "While the president’s administration may hope that by ignoring this court order, they can make us go away, they are mistaken. I will never stop fighting to ensure the rule of law is followed at every level of our government, and to ensure vital programs that improve the lives of Nevadans are not put on the chopping block as part of a political game. These programs do real thing for our state’s residents — they are not just lines on a piece of a paper."
AmeriCorps is an independent federal agency engaging more than 200,000 Americans annually in community-based service projects nationwide. It supports both national and state organizations by providing funding and volunteers who address various local needs.
In Nevada specifically, AmeriCorps runs educational initiatives in Las Vegas, Reno, and rural areas. Between February 2024 and February 2025, AmeriCorps invested over $10.1 million in Nevada programs.
The lawsuit alleges that OMB has unlawfully withheld more than $38 million meant for specific AmeriCorps projects across several states. Among these are Senior Companion Programs and Foster Grandparent Programs—initiatives pairing low-income seniors with children or other seniors needing support—and about $5 million intended for state service commissions responsible for training members nationwide. While AmeriCorps awarded over $33 million in competitive grants to plaintiff states for upcoming service years, OMB is reportedly preparing to withhold those funds as well.
According to the coalition's complaint, these actions violate both the Administrative Procedures Act and constitutional separation of powers since Congress established AmeriCorps and appropriated its funding; neither OMB nor AmeriCorps can override congressional intent by refusing distribution.
Attorney General Ford is joined in this legal effort by attorneys general from Maryland, California, Colorado, Delaware, Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin—as well as Kentucky’s and Pennsylvania’s governors.