Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford has filed a lawsuit, along with 23 other attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania, against the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) over its decision to withhold tens of millions of dollars in funding from AmeriCorps service programs.
The coalition’s legal action follows a court order obtained in June that reinstated hundreds of AmeriCorps programs previously cancelled and prohibited further cuts without formal rulemaking. Despite this ruling, OMB continues to withhold significant funds meant for these programs, raising concerns about their continued operation and the impact on communities that rely on their services.
“We have won in this matter already, and I am confident that the courts will continue to side with us going forward,” said AG Ford. “While the president’s administration may hope that by ignoring this court order, they can make us go away, they are mistaken. I will never stop fighting to ensure the rule of law is followed at every level of our government, and to ensure vital programs that improve the lives of Nevadans are not put on the chopping block as part of a political game. These programs do real thing for our state’s residents — they are not just lines on a piece of a paper.”
AmeriCorps is an independent federal agency that places more than 200,000 Americans each year in community-based service roles across national and local organizations. These programs address critical needs such as education, mentorship, and support for vulnerable populations.
In Nevada specifically, AmeriCorps supports educational initiatives in Las Vegas, Reno, and rural areas. The agency invested over $10.1 million in Nevada between February 2024 and February 2025.
The amended lawsuit claims OMB unlawfully withheld more than $38 million intended for specific AmeriCorps initiatives across several funding streams. This includes tens of millions meant for Senior Companion Programs and Foster Grandparent Programs—services pairing low-income seniors with children or other seniors needing care—and approximately $5 million earmarked for state service commissions responsible for training volunteers nationwide. While AmeriCorps awarded over $33 million in competitive grants to plaintiff states for the next service year, OMB is reportedly preparing to withhold those funds as well.
The coalition argues that withholding these funds violates both the Administrative Procedures Act and constitutional separation of powers since Congress established AmeriCorps and allocated its funding. The lawsuit asserts neither OMB nor AmeriCorps can refuse to distribute appropriated funds.
Joining AG Ford are attorneys general from Maryland, California, Colorado, Delaware, Arizona, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin; as well as governors from Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
