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AmeriCorps Members Rally in Washington
Aired September 02, 2003 - 15:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Supporters of the government's AmeriCorps national service have gathered on Capitol Hill today to lobby for more federal funding. The groups are staging a continuous 100-hour rally to draw attention to the need for new funding. A $100 million spending measure has passed the Senate, but GOP leaders have blocked it in the House.
And with me now to talk more about all this is Michael Brown. He's the president of City Year, a group that recruits young people to volunteer for service in urban areas.
Michael Brown, if you don't get this money, what does it mean for City Year?
MICHAEL BROWN, PRESIDENT, CITY YEAR: For City Year, it means that we're cut in half, from 1,000 young people in full-time service to just 500 literally overnight.
And more importantly, services are going to be cut in City Year communities all across the community. There will be 25,000 less children that will be getting after-school programs, our curricula for tutoring and mentoring. And importantly enough, also, thousands of young people are not going to be able to serve in AmeriCorps.
WOODRUFF: But you're fighting an uphill battle here. You have the Senate with you. But the House is saying, no, this cost too much money. We just put some supplemental out there earlier this year. The White House is saying the same thing: Let's wait for later to add the money. Why not wait?
BROWN: Because, right now, AmeriCorps is facing a crisis; 450 programs could close or be gutted unless there's $100 million provided for these programs in the next couple of weeks; 44 governors have signed a letter; 250 CEOs have signed a letter.
And, in fact, 233 House members, a majority of House, have signed a letter in support of this legislation.
WOODRUFF: So you're saying it is just the Republican House leadership that is holding this up.
Talk in very tangible terms about the kinds of programs that you believe will be hurt if this money doesn't happen.
BROWN: In one of the poorest congressional districts in America, in Mississippi, there will be no more AmeriCorps members. We just opened up our 100 hours of Voices For AmeriCorps with Candace Spiller (ph), 19 years old, is serving in AmeriCorps. She is a single mom herself. So she is using AmeriCorps as a leg up and a way to the American dream.
She is teaching children who have not passed through their educational grade levels how to read. That program is wiped out. There will be no more AmeriCorps members in the Delta region of Mississippi.
WOODRUFF: Well, let me also read to you something Congressman Peter Hoekstra of Minnesota (sic) has said.
"The worst thing we could do" -- and he's been a supporter in part of AmeriCorps -- "The worst thing we could do at this time is throw another $100 million at them at the end of their fiscal year and tell them to get that money out there as quickly as possible." He said, "We're just setting them up to fail."
BROWN: Not at all.
The programs are ready to go, because they're on a cycle where all their funds are distributed at the end of every fiscal year. Our program and hundreds of others are actually waiting for these funds. And we're hoping that by going 100 straight hours, with over 670 people coming from 50 states to testify, that that message will come through.
WOODRUFF: Final point, the criticism that there have been too many people recruited by too many local chapters of AmeriCorps, in so many words, more even than the program can handle. Has that been a problem?
BROWN: Americans want to serve. The president put out a general call for service after 9/11 in his 2002 State of the Union address. And if too many Americans want to serve, that shouldn't be seen as a problem. It should be seen as an opportunity.
WOODRUFF: All right, Michael Brown. He is the founder of City Year, which is one important part of the AmeriCorps program.
Michael Brown, thank you very much for being with us.
BROWN: Thank you, Judy.
WOODRUFF: We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 2, 2003 - 15:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Supporters of the government's AmeriCorps national service have gathered on Capitol Hill today to lobby for more federal funding. The groups are staging a continuous 100-hour rally to draw attention to the need for new funding. A $100 million spending measure has passed the Senate, but GOP leaders have blocked it in the House.
And with me now to talk more about all this is Michael Brown. He's the president of City Year, a group that recruits young people to volunteer for service in urban areas.
Michael Brown, if you don't get this money, what does it mean for City Year?
MICHAEL BROWN, PRESIDENT, CITY YEAR: For City Year, it means that we're cut in half, from 1,000 young people in full-time service to just 500 literally overnight.
And more importantly, services are going to be cut in City Year communities all across the community. There will be 25,000 less children that will be getting after-school programs, our curricula for tutoring and mentoring. And importantly enough, also, thousands of young people are not going to be able to serve in AmeriCorps.
WOODRUFF: But you're fighting an uphill battle here. You have the Senate with you. But the House is saying, no, this cost too much money. We just put some supplemental out there earlier this year. The White House is saying the same thing: Let's wait for later to add the money. Why not wait?
BROWN: Because, right now, AmeriCorps is facing a crisis; 450 programs could close or be gutted unless there's $100 million provided for these programs in the next couple of weeks; 44 governors have signed a letter; 250 CEOs have signed a letter.
And, in fact, 233 House members, a majority of House, have signed a letter in support of this legislation.
WOODRUFF: So you're saying it is just the Republican House leadership that is holding this up.
Talk in very tangible terms about the kinds of programs that you believe will be hurt if this money doesn't happen.
BROWN: In one of the poorest congressional districts in America, in Mississippi, there will be no more AmeriCorps members. We just opened up our 100 hours of Voices For AmeriCorps with Candace Spiller (ph), 19 years old, is serving in AmeriCorps. She is a single mom herself. So she is using AmeriCorps as a leg up and a way to the American dream.
She is teaching children who have not passed through their educational grade levels how to read. That program is wiped out. There will be no more AmeriCorps members in the Delta region of Mississippi.
WOODRUFF: Well, let me also read to you something Congressman Peter Hoekstra of Minnesota (sic) has said.
"The worst thing we could do" -- and he's been a supporter in part of AmeriCorps -- "The worst thing we could do at this time is throw another $100 million at them at the end of their fiscal year and tell them to get that money out there as quickly as possible." He said, "We're just setting them up to fail."
BROWN: Not at all.
The programs are ready to go, because they're on a cycle where all their funds are distributed at the end of every fiscal year. Our program and hundreds of others are actually waiting for these funds. And we're hoping that by going 100 straight hours, with over 670 people coming from 50 states to testify, that that message will come through.
WOODRUFF: Final point, the criticism that there have been too many people recruited by too many local chapters of AmeriCorps, in so many words, more even than the program can handle. Has that been a problem?
BROWN: Americans want to serve. The president put out a general call for service after 9/11 in his 2002 State of the Union address. And if too many Americans want to serve, that shouldn't be seen as a problem. It should be seen as an opportunity.
WOODRUFF: All right, Michael Brown. He is the founder of City Year, which is one important part of the AmeriCorps program.
Michael Brown, thank you very much for being with us.
BROWN: Thank you, Judy.
WOODRUFF: We appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
