The 27-year-old Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), which includes the controversial AmeriCorps program that pays people to work in community organizations, will be a top target of the president’s forth coming budget.
A senior administration official told Newsmax Friday that the soon-to-be-released budget would all but eliminate AmeriCorps, a key project of the Clinton administration.
“We’re definitely for defunding paid volunteers, and we’ll do our utmost to close down AmeriCorps,” the official said.
Since President Bill Clinton signed legislation creating AmeriCorps, it has mushroomed into an organization with 80,000 “paid volunteers” nationwide. It also provides grants to hundreds of community organizations throughout the U.S.
The effort to shut it down is expected to be coupled with a similar effort to scrap the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Despite opposition from House conservatives, AmeriCorps continued to grow under George W. Bush. Its biggest backer in the Bush White House was reportedly first lady Laura Bush, a former librarian who appreciated its plans for expanding libraries throughout the country.
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