A federal judge has ordered that the Trump administration, for now, restore AmeriCorps funding to Maine and about two dozen other states.
Volunteer Maine, the state's service commission, said the ruling reinstates about $2.5 million that supported eight AmeriCorps projects around Maine and about 120 service members. They were initially terminated in April.
But executive director Britt Gleixner-Haya said it won't be easy to restart the programs that were paused.
"This is not like a light switch you can turn on and off," she said. "The April termination already had an impact on our partners and on communities across Maine."
Volunteer agencies and non-profits around Maine are still figuring out how they will restart projects and rehire workers. Gleixner-Haya said Volunteer Maine is still waiting for required documentation from AmeriCorps headquarters confirming the funds have been restored.
"This is extremely chaotic for the AmeriCorps members, and it robs them of the opportunity to serve," she said. "They signed up and they want to serve communities, and right now this situation is making it very difficult for them to make the kind of decisions about their lives and to serve our communities here in Maine."
Maine programs are also bracing for the possibility of more changes, Gleixner-Haya said, as legal proceedings are expected to continue and the Trump administration may appeal. She also notes that a federal judge is allowing the Trump administration to proceed with planned layoffs of AmeriCorps headquarters staff.
