Oregon
AmeriCorps the latest federal program pitting Northwest states against Trump administration
The attorneys general from Oregon and Washington are joining a coalition of states in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s recent attempts to dismantle AmeriCorps.
Moves to gut the 32-year-old federal volunteer agency have come quickly over the past two weeks, according to court documents.
AmeriCorps leaders have placed members in its landmark national volunteer program, as well as the vast majority of its staff, on administrative leave. Pink slips were issued last week. And late Friday, the agency began notifying states that nearly $400 million in grants for AmeriCorps projects had been terminated.
The cuts appear to be a response to an executive order, signed in February, directing federal agencies to reduce their workforce.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, alleges these actions were illegal, unconstitutional and violate the Administrative Procedures Act. In a statement, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said cuts to public programs cannot be made on a whim.
FILE – Hundreds of new volunteers are sworn in for duty at a ceremony, Sept. 12, 2014, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. More than 150 AmeriCorps volunteers in Oregon are in limbo this week, waiting to see if their federally-funded programs will continue to exist.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
“AmeriCorps represents the best of what it means to be an American: service, sacrifice and community,” Rayfield said. “Gutting this critical work doesn’t just eliminate jobs or opportunities – it tears at the fabric of civic engagement and disproportionately harms vulnerable communities.”
Washington’s Attorney General Nick Brown shared a similar view.
“AmeriCorps provides hope and belonging in American communities nationwide,” Brown said in a statement. “But the president thinks public programs and public dollars are his to do with what he will, snatching them up through the same scheming that federal courts have already said is likely illegal.”
In a statement released Tuesday evening, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said the cuts would affect around 800 service sites “touching virtually every corner of our state.” Ferguson called the AmeriCorps cuts “reckless and unlawful.”
In the 2024-25 award year, Oregon received nearly $4.5 million in federal grants from AmeriCorps, according to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. HECC administers the grants through OregonServes, the state’s service commission.
The grants go toward a variety of service projects throughout the state. Oregon’s AmeriCorps volunteers serve as mentors and tutors to K-12 students, provide support services to people experiencing homelessness and help implement environmental sustainability plans in rural communities.
About half of the state’s AmeriCorps funds, $2.6 million, have yet to be allocated to grant recipients. And with last Friday’s termination notice, those funds have effectively been frozen.
The notice directed states to “immediately cease all award activities” and to “document that [each] member was exited for compelling personal circumstances due to the agency’s termination of the grant and program closure,” according to documents filed with the lawsuit.
A spokesperson with HECC said the agency is still assessing the notice and potential impacts it could have on Oregon.
For now, the state has not advised AmeriCorps grantees to make changes to their programming.
“HECC has informed grantees that the agency cannot guarantee that the state will be able to reimburse expenses incurred after April 28 should they be disallowed by federal AmeriCorps,” wrote the agency on its website. “Grantees may assess risks internally and make a decision that makes the most sense for their program.”
BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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