Few programs are as “America-first” as AmeriCorps. It is a decades-old initiative, bipartisan in its creation and operation, that has provided national service opportunities for over a million people in a variety of service areas in every state in the union. It is often a life-changing experience, both for those who benefit directly from the service project and for those who provide the service.

It was for me.

AmeriCorps has several service options available to choose from. I did my year of service in the National Civilian Community Corps. In the 25 years plus since my tenure, AmeriCorps has grown and diversified while remaining true to its pledge to “get things done for America.”

As part of the NCCC, I was assigned to a team of a dozen people, ages 18-24, and to a campus that brought together people from all across the country. We were diverse in background, education, experience and politics, but for a year we worked together, lived together and learned from each other.

We teamed up with community organizations and government agencies to get things done.

The projects we worked on together included building homes with Habitat for Humanity in rural Virginia, tutoring students in D.C. public schools, refurbishing public housing in several states, responding with the Red Cross to a flood disaster in Ohio and so much more.

We finished our service year with a small educational stipend, but with lives enriched by an amazing experience and the value we found in serving our country. For many people, AmeriCorps is the start of their public service, not the end.

Several thousand AmeriCorps members serve in hundreds of sites across Pennsylvania annually. They work to invest tens of millions of dollars in our state and economy. They have worked in our schools, health clinics, shelters, food banks, veterans’ facilities and youth centers. They have provided disaster relief and enhanced public safety. Since its inception, it is estimated that Pennsylvania has benefited from 80 million hours of work through AmeriCorps.

With the recently announced $400 million in federal cuts to AmeriCorps programming, the future of this unifying, bipartisan program is murky at best. This abrupt action by the federal government has driven Gov. Josh Shapiro to join a lawsuit brought by two dozen states demanding the federal government keep its promises. This suit includes other states that voted for the president, including North Carolina, Nevada, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Cuts are already in line for a veteran mental health initiative in Butler, school supports for thousands of kids in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and water infrastructure projects in 15 rural counties, to name just a few. It is incumbent upon all levels of government to appropriately manage taxpayer dollars, and no one supports wasteful spending. But taking a chainsaw instead of a scalpel to a program like AmeriCorps will not result in a stronger America.

AmeriCorps did not just sprout up overnight. It took decades of Democrats and Republicans working together to create something effective and accessible nationwide.

Damage to its reputation and program stability will not be easy to remedy, but states, nonprofits and religious groups alike depend upon this partnership. Thousands of Americans every year sign up to “get things done.” The call has been answered, and the federal government must not hang up.

State Rep. Dan Miller represents the 42nd Legislative District of Mt. Lebanon, Castle Shannon, Dormont, Baldwin Twp. and parts of Upper St. Clair.