FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Katie Vavao, Katie.Vavao@cv.ca.gov, (916) 584-3620
DOGE Is Costing Californians Money
What you need to know: For every federal dollar invested, AmeriCorps generates $17 in country-wide economic value through private matching funds and the services its members provide to students, seniors, disaster victims and veterans and their families.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announces the dismantling of AmeriCorps programs in the name of fiscal responsibility, national and state data tell a very different story: These cuts are not saving money — they’re wasting it.
As a public-private partnership, AmeriCorps is a unique example of federal government efficiency and tax dollar stewardship. For every $1 invested in national service, $17 is returned to communities in benefits to service members, the government and society, according to a Voices for National Service study.
“DOGE-math is not mathing. Cutting AmeriCorps doesn’t make government more efficient — it does the exact opposite,” said GO-Serve Director Josh Fryday. “These programs are among the most cost-effective tools we have to lift up communities, strengthen local economies and reduce the burden on other government systems. Slashing them isn’t smart policy — it’s counterproductive.”
AmeriCorps programs focus on community challenges, reduce dependence on other government programs and decrease welfare, public health and criminal justice expenditures.
For example, in the Los Angeles area alone, with over $10.4 million in federal funds slashed, communities could lose more than $176 million in community benefits and savings. Federal cuts of $6.6 million in the Central Valley could actually mean losing over $112 million.
In 2024, at least 6,334 California service members served at more than 1,800 locations, including schools, food banks, homeless shelters, health clinics, youth centers, veterans’ facilities and other nonprofit and faith-based organizations. When the devastating fires struck Los Angeles earlier this year, AmeriCorps members were on the ground, distributing supplies and supporting families.
“Investing in AmeriCorps is not charity — it’s a smart investment with real returns,” said Richie Goldman, California Volunteers Commissioner and Co-Founder of Men’s Wearhouse. “Every dollar cut now will cost us many more in the long run, not just in dollars, but in lost opportunity and diminished resilience. Investment in service pays off — I guarantee it.”
California, along with other states, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over DOGE efforts to dismantle AmeriCorps.
For more information on the return on investment in national service, go to the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps Quantifying the Impact report.
While the federal government cuts AmeriCorps programs, the state continues to recruit for the California Service Corps. Combined, it is a force larger than the Peace Corps and is mobilized at a time when California is addressing post-pandemic academic recovery, rebuilding from the LA fires and planning for the future of the state’s workforce.
INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH with GO-Serve Director Josh Fryday. Contact Katie Vavao, Katie.Vavao@CaliforniaVolunteers.ca.gov, (916) 584-3620.
Related footage and interviews:
B-roll: California Service Corps
Photos: AmeriCorps California
Interviews in English: GO-Serve Director Fryday’s Statement on Dismantling of AmeriCorps
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About California Volunteers, Office of the Governor
California Volunteers, Office of the Governor empowers Californians to take action to improve their communities. California Volunteers is the state office tasked with recruiting Californians to engage in public service.
