[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 12, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H6838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  AMERICORPS PROGRAM A WASTE OF MONEY

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, last night, NBC News did an expose on 
AmeriCorps that proved what a lot of us have suspected for some time--
the program is way over budget and wasting taxpayers' money at a 
phenomenal rate.
  AmeriCorps may have worthy goals, but is has lousy execution. 
According to a report by the General Accounting Office, the Clinton 
administration projected AmeriCorps to cost $6.43 per hour for each so-
called volunteer. The actual cost: $15.65 per hour. Annually, the 
program was supposed to cost no more than $18,000 per participant. The 
final tab: $27,000 per participant.
  Mr. Speaker, these are large sums of money. Most of the citizens in 
my district, who work full-time jobs to support their whole families, 
don't earn this kind of money. Why does it cost $27,000 to support just 
one AmeriCorps participant?
  On Monday night, the VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee cut all 
funding for President Clinton's so-called national service program.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, the answer is that it won't anymore. I applaud my 
colleagues on the VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee for stopping this 
new entitlement program.

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