Gutting AmeriCorps weakens California’s response when the next emergency strikes

by Lauren Levitt | June 5, 2025

Update: On June 5, a judge partially sided with the states in a lawsuit seeking to save AmeriCorps from sudden cuts, and issued a preliminary injunction ordering the Trump administration to restore the cancelled grants in the states that sued while the case proceeds.

Last month, I hung up my yellow vest for the last time.

We were there after wildfires tore through Los Angeles communities, standing alongside survivors in shelters, donation centers, disaster recovery centers and scorched neighborhoods. We helped Californians take their first steps toward rebuilding.

And now, we’re gone.

After the federal government cut funding for AmeriCorps’ disaster relief programs, more than 60 of us in the California Emergency Response Corps were told our service was ending early. Some of my teammates were still in the field when the news came in. They had to pack up and leave while the work was still unfolding.

This is not just about a few disheartened young adults losing the opportunity to serve their community. It’s about what we lose as a state when we cut off the pipeline of people trained and ready to show up in times of crisis.

This derailment happened at a curious time. Our deployment to Los Angeles was the biggest operation in the California program’s history. Our teams helped more than 26,000 wildfire survivors navigate FEMA paperwork, replace lost IDs and find emergency housing.