For Immediate Release
Contact: Ranit Schmelzer, 202-538-1065, ranit@schmelzerstrategies.com
House Appropriations Subcommittee Approves Funding for National Service
$1.03 Billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service Would Enable Work of Thousands of Nonprofit Faith and Community Based Organizations to Continue
Washington, DC – The U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies today approved $1.03 billion for fiscal year 2018 to fund the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that administers national service programs including AmeriCorps and Senior Corps. The amount is part of a larger appropriations bill that includes funding for programs within the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, and other related agencies.
“Funding for AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and national service programs passed a significant hurdle today,” said AnnMaura Connolly, President of Voices for National Service. “We’re extremely grateful to the bipartisan members of the Appropriations Committee, including Representatives Tom Cole and Rosa DeLauro, who put their faith in the thousands of men and women who strengthen education from preschool through college, help communities recover and rebuild from natural disasters, support our veterans and military families, combat poverty, assist seniors in independent living, and foster economic opportunities across America.”
“If approved by the full Congress and signed by the President, this funding will enable the essential work of thousands of nonprofit faith-based and community-based organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Teach for America. We recognize that today’s action is the first step in a long budget process and will continue to work with our Republican and Democratic champions in Congress – and the national service field – to ensure that we realize the potential for national service at scale to meet the pressing needs of the nation.”
The budget recommendation offered in May by the White House would have dramatically reduced funding for CNCS, putting the agency on the trajectory of elimination in the following year. Instead, the $1.03 billion appropriated in this bill for fiscal year 2018 matches the amount appropriated by Congress for CNCS in fiscal year 2017, reaffirming the enduring value of national service programs even in an era of austere budgeting.
Voices for National Service urges Congress to continue to work in a bipartisan manner and invest in successful non-defense discretionary programs that meet the pressing needs of our nation.
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Voices for National Service is a diverse coalition of national service programs, state service commissions and individual champions, who work to ensure Americans of all ages and backgrounds have the opportunity to serve and volunteer in their community. Founded in 2003, Voices for National Service has built strong bipartisan support among our nation’s leaders and helped to elevate national service as a powerful strategy for tackling unmet needs, preparing young people for work, uniting our country and developing civic character.