Education

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Payback: AmeriCorps is Your Program, Do You Want it?

When someone complains about taxes, it is common for her or him to say, “I don’t know where the money is going!" Paying taxes (at the store, out of our paychecks, on that dreaded day in April) is quite obvious to us; the payback (yes, there is a payback) is less obvious.

The payback is in the form of many things that we take for granted, such as city, state, and national parks, roadways, waterways, schools, etc. These things contribute to a strong society, to which we contribute through our taxes.

Our taxes also pay for special programs like AmeriCorps, which works to strengthen America’s weak spots in education, safety, health, and the environment.

What is AmeriCorps?

AmeriCorps is a network of diverse service organizations including non-profits, public agencies, and faith-based organizations. AmeriCorps volunteers provide a variety of services, including after-school programs, disaster relief, and cleaning up lakes and streams. Habitat for Humanity, the American Red Cross and Boys and Girls Clubs are all AmeriCorps grantees.

Because of tax cuts, there is simply less money to go around, so lawmakers must prioritize – they must save some programs and cut others.

AmeriCorps in danger

AmeriCorps may very well disappear if it does not receive the funding it needs. Ironically, many people expected the program to be made stronger this year. In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush promised to expand it by recruiting more volunteers. The number of volunteers did increase this year, but the program will not be able to support them without more funding.

The program requires significant spending. Volunteers receive an education award of $4,725 to pay for college, graduate school or student loans. (These awards could be considered further investment in society.) Without more money for AmeriCorps, more volunteers are an impossibility.

Conflicting philosophies

There are several philosophies of how to strengthen American society. One of them is to cut taxes, leaving more money with individuals; individuals will then use those funds to support their own families, which are considered the basis of community. Another philosophy is to give tax dollars directly to community programs, which identify areas of need and thus help those members of a community that are struggling the most.

Many Americans (some of whom are struggling because of economic downturn) will benefit from the tax-cuts, but other Americans will suffer. Disaster victims, children in need of tutoring, and recipients of services provided by non-profits will feel the pinch.

Congress in action

On July 11, 2003, an overwhelming majority of the Senate (yes, that means Republicans and Democrats agreed!) voted in favor of $100 million in emergency funds for AmeriCorps. Many Senators decided to support AmeriCorps because their constituents demanded that they do so; they got letters, phone calls, and emails from average citizens and people in power. 44 Governors, 155 Mayors, 186 college and university presidents and 1,180 community-based organizations made their confidence in AmeriCorps known to their representatives.

On July 22, 2003, the proposal for emergency funding for AmeriCorps went to the House Appropriations Committee. Our Constitution requires that the House approve all bills that necessitate a withdrawal of funds from the Treasury. With support from the White House, the committee voted down the proposal. The committee chairman, Bill Young (R-FL.) believes that AmeriCorps needs reform, not funds.

Reform, not funds

According to the committee, AmeriCorps is mismanaged because it tends to enroll more volunteers than it can support. Without reform, the committee feels that AmeriCorps should not be granted more funding.

What happens now?

In order for AmeriCorps to receive emergency aid, President Bush must publicly request a supplemental bill from Congress. This would demonstrate an irrevocable support of AmeriCorps and would probably save the program.

To discuss this topic with other Womenmatter readers, [click here]. Let your representatives know how you feel about AmeriCorps by [clicking here].

Posted on: 7/30/2003

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