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By Anna Johnson

The devastating cuts made earlier this year to the voluntary national service program, AmeriCorps, are now widely known, and more may be coming. As a member of the business community and a champion of a local AmeriCorps program, I believe that threats to AmeriCorps put our future prosperity at risk and will harm our neighbors, region and state.

Every year, AmeriCorps deploys 200,000 Americans across the country who provide critical services to millions of people, including disaster relief, veteran and military family support, anti-poverty efforts, education programs, conservation, and more.

Despite this work, AmeriCorps is under attack. This spring, the AmeriCorps agency dismissed nearly 85% of its staff, issued stop work orders against hundreds of AmeriCorps members working in conservation and emergency response, and terminated more than 1,000 grants at the direction of DOGE.  While these actions have been challenged in the courts and reversed at some level, they have upended program operations, prematurely ended service terms, and disrupted the delivery of services in communities.

Last week, the House Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee advanced a fiscal year 2026 bill that proposes to cut future AmeriCorps funding by more than 50%, which would eliminate thousands of service positions across the country, including our community in Baton Rouge.

As Congress makes decisions about federal funding levels, it should support and expand investment in AmeriCorps.

We’re fortunate to have the leadership and advocacy of U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, a staunch supporter of AmeriCorps and the co-chair of the National Service Congressional Caucus. His legislative record has sought to strengthen the program and expand opportunities to serve to even more Americans.

Here are three reasons why, along with leaders like Sen. Cassidy, we must urgently defend and support AmeriCorps.

1. AmeriCorps has a profound, positive impact on our community.

Serve Louisiana engages thousands of people to serve with AmeriCorps and partner with local organizations like food pantries, the Foundation for East Baton Rouge School System and Teach for America. Last year alone, more than 3,100 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Senior volunteers , providing critical services and resources to our community.

I’ve seen firsthand the impact of AmeriCorps on our community as a board member of �鶹��Ƶ Baton Rouge (CYBR). Since CYBR launched in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, more than 1,000 young people have served here, partnering with our classroom teachers to tutor and mentor over 40,000 students.

These AmeriCorps members serve in schools that need additional capacity the most, helping students catch up in key subjects like English Language Arts and math; engage more deeply with their learning; and stay on track to graduate from high school. Partner teachers and principals agree CYBR is having a positive impact on their students and schools.

In exchange for their service, AmeriCorps members receive a , such as access to education grants and scholarships that help them further their own education or pay down student loans. And as they serve, AmeriCorps members are developing critical , another long-term benefit to our community, as many corps remain in the area after they serve, boosting our economy.

2. AmeriCorps is a sound investment.

AmeriCorps has proven itself to be not only effective, but cost-efficient, earning strong bipartisan support. Federal funding for the national service program comes to a year. In fact, many AmeriCorps programs require robust matching investment from non-federal sources, such as private, corporate and local, making AmeriCorps a model in public-private partnerships.

As business leaders know, return-on-investment matters a lot. AmeriCorps scores high on that measure as well. A showed that for every $1 invested by the federal government, our society, program members and the federal government gain $17 in benefits—in the form of increased earnings, educational attainment, positive health outcomes, and decreased costs associated with social services and criminal justice.

3. AmeriCorps represents the best of our country.

AmeriCorps is the only federal agency for community service and volunteerism. Its mission: To improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. More than a million Americans have served since it launched in 1994 and tens of thousands more are seeking the opportunity to serve—if they are given the chance.

To sum up, AmeriCorps helps people. It addresses critical community needs, expands economic and educational opportunity, and prepares the next generation of workforce and community leaders. It’s patriotic. These are all things the community of Baton Rouge believes and invests in.

Let’s voice our support for national service and ask Congress to restore and protect funding for AmeriCorps. We can urge Sen. Cassidy and the rest of our congressional delegation to continue to fight for and preserve this national resource that helps our community to thrive.

Anna Johnson is executive director of West Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce and was selected as a 225 Impactful Citizen by 225Fest and is a graduate of several area business leadership programs. Johnson currently serves on the board of �鶹��Ƶ Baton Rouge.