Pa. joins new multistate lawsuit against Trump Administration

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• Pennsylvania joins 25 states suing over $6M in lost AmeriCorps funds

• Funding supported education, disaster relief, and senior care programs

• PennSERVE forced to halt activities across 41 counties in Pa.

• Cuts impact Boys & Girls Club, Teach for America, and more

Pennsylvania on Wednesday joined a multistate lawsuit with 25 other states and the District of Columbia against the Trump Administration.

Governor Josh Shapiro is challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to revoke over $6 million in funding owed to Pennsylvania, much of which AmeriCorps was approved for distribution. This funding supports service and volunteer organizations, providing literacy and math classes to students in grades K-12, maintaining trails and parks, helping seniors requiring long-term care, assisting veterans and military families, repairing homes destroyed in natural disasters, and improving water quality across Pennsylvania.

“AmeriCorps members are serving their fellow Pennsylvanians everyday – rebuilding our communities after disasters, educating our children, helping our veterans and seniors, and keeping our trails and water clean,” Shapiro said in a statement. “The federal government entered into a contract with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and with the dismantling of AmeriCorps, the Trump Administration is breaking that contract.”

The lawsuit is co-led by Maryland, Delaware, California, and Colorado, and joined by Arizona, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Hawai‘i, Illinois, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

PennSERVE operates under the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and is the grantmaking partner of AmeriCorps in Pennsylvania, operating as the state service commission. PennSERVE distributes approximately $16 million annually in federal money from AmeriCorps to 28 programs and, at the time of the federal government’s notice of termination, had 655 active AmeriCorps members serving at 248 host sites in 41 counties throughout Pennsylvania.

On April 26, 2025, PennSERVE staff received notice from AmeriCorps stating that effective immediately, AmeriCorps award funding was being terminated because it has been determined that “the award no longer effectuates agency priorities.” PennSERVE was told to immediately cease all award activities and that no appeal option would be available to them. Among the impacted programs are the Boys and Girls Club, City Year, and Teach for America.

According to a release, the terminated grants will have immediate and negative impacts in communities across Pennsylvania, including Central Pennsylvania:

• In Lancaster and York counties, where AmeriCorps members provide approximately 1,000 residents with financial education, tax preparation, and workforce readiness training;
• Across 15 counties, where the Pennsylvania Mountain Service Corps tutors 1,000 students and builds water infrastructure in rural communities.

The cuts will put Pennsylvania’s children, seniors, and veterans at risk, while threatening housing, local parks, and educational support programs across Pennsylvania, per the release.

In February, Shapiro filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s unconstitutional freeze of federal funding, and earlier this month the governor joined a multistate lawsuit to protect public health in Pennsylvania after the Trump Administration canceled more than half a billion dollars in public health grants. The courts sided with Pennsylvania, temporarily blocking the Trump Administration’s unlawful decision. As a result of Shapiro taking legal action both times, $2.7 billion in federal funding owed to Pennsylvanians has been restored.

Shapiro also challenged the Trump Administration’s decision to revoke $185 million in funding owed to Pennsylvania schools, much of which the United States Department of Education had already approved for distribution to support mental health resources for students, access to reliable high-speed internet, and HVAC installation to improve student health and safety.

“It’s my job as governor to protect the interest of Pennsylvania taxpayers – and that’s why I’m taking action to ensure no Pennsylvania senior, veteran, or student is harmed by the federal government’s decision to go back on its word,” said Shapiro.