Among the groups providing on-the-ground assistance in the Eaton Fire disaster zone, the ones you won’t be seeing are the National Civilian Community Corps and FEMA Corps volunteers from the federal AmeriCorps program.
That’s because they’ve all been sent home as a result of the Trump administration ‘s campaign to shrink the government workforce and services.
The federal agency overseeing volunteerism and service work across the US abruptly pulled teams of young people out of community service projects across the country last week, including those assigned to provide disaster assistance.
AmeriCorps’ National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) informed volunteers last Tuesday that they would exit the program early “due to programmatic circumstances beyond your control.” The work stoppage was due to cuts attributed to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
According to the Associated Press, more than 2,000 people ages 18 to 26 serve in the NCCC for nearly a year, assigned to projects with nonprofits, community organizations and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The volunteers are especially visible after natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Helene last year. The organization said on social media last month that teams have served 8 million service hours on nearly 3,400 disaster projects since 1999.
AmeriCorps members, who receive a living allowance and have basic expenses covered, will reportedly be paid through the end of April. The program also provides members who complete their 1,700-hour service term with funding for future education expenses or to apply to certain student loans. That benefit was worth about $7,300 this service year.
The memo releasing the NCCC volunteers stated that those who have completed 15 percent or more of their term would be eligible for a prorated amount of the education stipend, but those that have completed less would not be eligible.
A White House official said the Trump administration questioned using taxpayer money for the program, “in alignment with the Trump-Vance Administration priorities and Executive Order 14222, ‘Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Cost Efficiency Initiative.'”
In addition to no longer being available to provide assistance related to the Eaton Fire, eliminating the NCCC volunteer workforce comes just weeks before the official start of hurricane season.
In an interview with WIRED, Samantha Montano, an assistant professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, said, “NCCC and FEMA Corps represent a critical flexible workforce that is able to support disaster mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across the country. The loss of the people who make up these programs will be felt immediately, and especially in the next major disaster.”
