1. United States
2. Mont.
3. Letter

I served for two terms with AmeriCorps VISTA in Montana. In fact, this was the reason that I moved to Montana after college. For a living allowance of $24,000 a year, I served with the MT Department of Commerce to align state agencies around disaster response, then I served with the MT Department of Health and Human Services to recruit, train, and mentor other AmeriCorps members as a VISTA Leader. I have SO much to Montana during my service term; there are so many benefits to national service, particularly for a state like Montana where our public lands, nonprofits, and state agencies depend on these critical resources. AmeriCorps is central to solving community challenges, and is an efficient use of taxpayers money. For every $1 in federal taxes invested in AmeriCorps, over $17 is returned to our communities, program members, and government. AmeriCorps in Montana helps both urban and rural communities - over 3,000 members served in Montana this past year in over 450 different service locations. Their investment into our state totaled over $19.3 million. All of that is at risk, and Montanans will suffer without AmeriCorps. Now, the Administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are taking steps that indicate a desire to dismantle AmeriCorps. By placing a large number of agency staff on administrative leave (https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/04/16/americorps-cuts-doge-trump/), AmeriCorps program operations, member enrollment and deployment, and grant disbursement could slow to a halt. The Administration has also issued stop work orders to AmeriCorps NCCC and FEMA Corps members. These actions effectively terminate critical reso urces that communities across all 50 states have depended on for three decades. You need to step up to the plate to protect AmeriCorps for Montana. These are members that are helping build affordable housing in Red Lodge, run food banks in Sidney, and maintain our trails in the middle of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. If Montana looses its AmeriCorps programs and members, voters will hold you accountable.