AmeriCorps Civilian Program Faces $22 Million Budget Cut

But now the White House says the NCCC program, at least, is not worth the money. A review by the Office of Management and Budget found it to be "extremely expensive," with a per-participant cost of $27,859. In contrast, the other nonresidential AmeriCorps programs typically have a per-participant cost of $16,000.

The review also noted that only 7 percent of members' service was focused on disaster relief. Instead, most time was devoted to tutoring children, building trails for national parks and building houses for low-income families.

David Eisner, chief executive of the Corporation for National and Community Service, AmeriCorps' parent agency, called the 7 percent "a little misleading" because it focused on data from 2004, when there was comparatively little disaster relief work.

These days, about half of all participants are in Mississippi and Louisiana at any given time, pitching in with Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts for eight-to-nine-week stints, Eisner said.

But there is no denying that the program's cost stands out, especially when the corporation's overall budget is shrinking 5.4 percent, to $851.5 million, he said.

"It's an extremely difficult budget year for non-security discretionary budgets, and this is the right way to manage a slight decrease in the national service budget," Eisner said. "It's heartbreaking because of the strong work that we know that NCCC does."

Full-time staff members who lose their jobs would receive outplacement services and, in many cases, would be first in line for any openings at the corporation. All program participants would be able to finish their service. Even with the budget cuts, AmeriCorps would still have 75,000 participants in 2007, Eisner said.

Andrew Judd, 24, who spent two months in Florida helping to repair roofs after hurricanes Ivan and Charley ransacked that state in 2004, said he was angry and shocked that the Bush administration would kill the program.

"It's a very valuable program, and I was disappointed to see that it wasn't getting the recognition that it deserves," said Judd, who counsels children in Denver public schools for the nonprofit group Denver Kids Inc.

"Just a few years ago, there was the president's call to service. People have been responding to it -- and now it's being cut off."