Staff Reports
America First Legal has formally asked AmeriCorps to rip a Biden-era Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer out of the agency’s rulebook. The petition, filed on Aug. 25, 2026, asks the Corporation for National and Community Service — commonly called AmeriCorps — to amend 45 C.F.R. § 2500.11 and remove the CDIO from the agency’s listed leadership roles. That single move would be a small but sharp step toward restoring merit-based leadership at a federal agency meant to bind communities, not divide them.
The petition and legal push
America First Legal, through counsel Rachael Griffin, asked AmeriCorps to start notice-and-comment rulemaking under the Administrative Procedure Act to change the regulation. The petition says the rule conflicts with recent presidential executive orders and federal civil-rights law and warns that leaving the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer codified in the Code of Federal Regulations invites permanent DEI power at the agency. AFL requested a written response within 45 days and reserved the right to sue if AmeriCorps does nothing. In short: act or meet us in court.
Why AFL says the CDIO is wrong for AmeriCorps
AFL argues the CDIO role has nothing to do with AmeriCorps’ mission of volunteerism, conservation, and civic engagement. The group calls for merit-based leadership focused on results, not identity metrics. The petition even names Nathaniel H. Benjamin as AmeriCorps’ inaugural CDIO in its background — a fact the filing uses to show how the office was built and staffed. If you find it odd that a program meant to unite volunteers is reshaped around race and gender checklists, you’re not alone.
Why this fight matters for DEI and federal rulemaking
Removing a DEI role from the CFR is more than symbolic. Once a position is written into regulation, it gains staying power — and can be hard to undo without formal rulemaking. If AmeriCorps refuses to start that process, AFL has signaled it will seek judicial relief. The next real test will be whether the agency publishes a Federal Register notice to open the public comment period. For taxpayers and volunteers who want AmeriCorps to focus on community service rather than bureaucratic identity scoring, this is a fight worth watching.
What to watch next
Keep an eye on AmeriCorps for an acknowledgment or a Federal Register notice. If the agency ignores the petition, expect litigation. If it opens rulemaking, expect a public debate over what role, if any, DEI offices should play in government programs. Either way, the outcome will matter a lot more to the people AmeriCorps is supposed to serve than to the consultants who turned diversity into a federal job title. The choice now is simple: return AmeriCorps to its original purpose or defend the contraption that turned civic service into another identity bureaucracy. Citizens should demand the former — and be ready to hold agencies to account if they choose the latter.
