Support for AmeriCorps Program Growing in Congress

By Julie Blair

Each year AmeriCorps has come before Congress for funding, there's been a knock-down, drag-out fight between Democrats who support the service organization and Republican conservatives who contend it's just another example of a bloated federal government.

But this year, many conservatives are quietly offering their support for a program they regard as flawed but worthy, in a turn of events that experts say signals the program's success.

"This program is on the verge of being institutionalized," said James Perry, an expert on national and community service at Indiana University Bloomington who has analyzed AmeriCorps programs in the Midwest and on the East Coast....