Letter to the Hon. Donald J. Trump, President of the United States - Bennet Leads Bipartisan Letter Urging President Trump to Reverse Proposal to Eliminate Funding for America's Leading Service and Volunteerism Agency

Letter

Dear President Trump,

We write today to respectfully request that you reverse your budget recommendation to eliminate funding for the Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS) in FY 2020.

CNCS is our country's leading provider of grants that support national service and volunteerism. Through programs like AmeriCorps and Senior Corps, CNCS engages more than 300,000 national service participants at more than 50,000 locations across the country each year. CNCS participants also recruit and manage millions of additional volunteers. Working hand in hand with thousands of nonprofit organizations--including the American Red Cross, City Year, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, United Way, Catholic Charities, and Teach For America--these patriotic Americans make our country a better place. They respond to natural disasters, fight the opioid epidemic, conserve our natural lands, help veterans transition to civilian life, help seniors live independently, build safe and affordable houses, and mentor vulnerable children.

Additionally, CNCS increases economic opportunity, and is a smart investment in our country's future. A study by economists at Columbia University found that for every dollar invested in national service, there is a $3.95 return to society in terms of higher earnings, increased economic output, and other community benefits. A CNCS report found that unemployed individuals who volunteer are 27 percent more likely to secure employment than those who do not volunteer. And, since the inception of AmeriCorps in 1993, more than 1 million AmeriCorps members have used the program to develop skills that make them more employable in the 21st century workplace.

Most importantly, at this time of partisan fury, national service is the way we will recover our sense of common citizenship in our democratic republic. We should be doing everything we can to encourage the important work CNCS does. While we recognize our country's difficult fiscal situation, eliminating CNCS is not a responsible way to reduce the national debt or deficit. We urge you to ensure that in FY 2020, CNCS receives sufficient funding to best serve the American people.

Sincerely,