Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. is reaching out to D.C. on behalf of AmericCorps following last week’s abrupt dismissal of the NCCC Southern Region’s 351 volunteers at the hands of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In a statement Monday, Flaggs’ office said the mayor has written to both Mississippi’s congressional delegation and the White House following last week’s directive to demobilize the Southern Region’s volunteers, 240 of whom were slated to graduate in May with only weeks left in their service.

“I’ve seen firsthand the dedication and impact these young people have made in our community and surrounding areas,” Flaggs said. “To see their service cut short so close to completion is deeply disheartening, not just for them, but for the communities that rely on their work.”

Flaggs said he is urging federal leaders to reconsider the demobilization directive and take swift action to preserve the mission, integrity and future of the AmericCorps NCCC program in Vicksburg.

The sudden cut in volunteers is the latest in DOGE cutbacks that also resulted in offers of deferred resignations and the outright firing of federal employees with less than one year service in their current positions at both the Vicksburg National Military Park (VNMP) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center (ERDC) in February. Many of the terminated employees were hired back after federal court rulings in the days and weeks that followed; however, the longevity of those rehires remains in question.

Members of DOGE, which President Donald Trump has admitted is headed up by Elon Musk, began cutting jobs from federal programs early this year in apparent efforts to reign in government spending.

AmeriCorps’ NCCC program had a budget of $37.7 million during fiscal year 2024 and was on track to receive $42.7 million during the current fiscal year, according to its website.

It is currently unclear whether cuts to AmeriCorps will extend beyond the NCCC program. Messages from The Vicksburg Post to AmeriCorps representatives, both locally and nationally, were not immediately returned.

For more information on Flaggs’ advocacy for AmeriCorps, he may be contacted directly at 601-942-0492.