Remainder of $9M for Kentucky service commission released by Trump administration, Beshear says

KENTUCKY (FOX 56) — A Kentucky service commission will gain financial support to the tune of over $200,000 to develop housing, fight hunger, and more for communities of the Bluegrass after President Trump’s administration agreed to release the rest of a $9 million payment in federal funding for the state on Aug. 28.

The money, appropriated by Congress to support AmeriCorps service commissions nationwide, had allegedly been halted by the Trump administration. The withholding of the funds led to a lawsuit from the attorneys general of 23 other states and the District of Columbia, including Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, to avoid the lawsuit, the president’s administration agreed to release the remaining $208,487 to Serve Kentucky, the Commonwealth’s AmeriCorps service commission.

“AmeriCorps and Serve Kentucky make our people, communities and country stronger by providing food, housing support, education, mental health services and more, and it was illegal and short-sighted for the President’s administration to try and dismantle this independent federal agency,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release on Aug. 29. “Today is a good day for our commonwealth and country, as we once again see that the law – and what’s right for the American people – can rise above any challenge.”

Thursday’s victory marked the latest in cases Beshear has reportedly joined to protect federal money intended for Kentucky. In July, he and leaders from 23 other states and Washington, D.C. challenged the Trump administration over its allegedly unlawful choice to freeze nearly $7 billion in education funding, which had also been appropriated for the Bluegrass by Congress.

Beshear’s office stated that the U.S. Department of Education released all of Kentucky’s funds a week after the coalition sued.

“These funds aren’t about Democrat or Republican – they were appropriated by Congress for the education of Kentuckians, and I’m proud we were able to get them back,” Beshear said.

More information about Serve Kentucky can be found at the AmeriCorps website.