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.
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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.
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“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.
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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.”
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
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“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
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On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
