AmeriCorps Funds Eliminated by House

The House of Representatives has eliminated all funds for AmeriCorps and related national-service programs for the fiscal year that begins October 1.

But AmeriCorps officials were optimistic that an appropriations bill that is eventually passed by the entire Congress will restore money for the program. President Clinton has vowed to veto “any bill that inadequately funds AmeriCorps.”

AmeriCorps received $472-million in federal appropriations for the current fiscal year, and Mr. Clinton had asked Congress to provide $585-million for next year.

The House dropped the dollars for AmeriCorps by not including the program in an appropriations measure for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Senate, which is now considering the spending bill, is expected to provide money for AmeriCorps. The two chambers of Congress will ultimately meet to work out a compromise version of the measure.

Many Republicans on Capitol Hill have long been opposed to federal spending on AmeriCorps, often calling it “coerced volunteerism.”