Clinton Hails AmeriCorps on 5th Anniversary

President Clinton, calling AmeriCorps “an indispensable force for change in America,” Wednesday marked the national service program’s fifth anniversary by declaring an end to the bitter political struggle over its survival.

“After years of fights over funding and purpose in AmeriCorps, peace is breaking out all over in Washington,” Clinton told hundreds of people celebrating the anniversary at a ceremony under a tent on the White House lawn.

As he did five years ago, Clinton assembled members of the current AmeriCorps class and had them recite a pledge to serve their country. “Faced with apathy, I will take action. Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground. Faced with adversity, I will persevere,” the volunteers promised.

Clinton led the crowd in a rendition of “America the Beautiful,” singing loudly, with his head held high, on the first verse and following printed lyrics he shared with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for subsequent verses.

AmeriCorps is essentially an at-home version of the Peace Corps. Participants work with nonprofit groups in areas such as education, health and human needs, the environment and public safety. For their effort, they get $4,725 each to put toward their education.

About 150,000 people have taken part in AmeriCorps, spending a year building houses for the poor, teaching children to read, working with police on domestic violence and gang intervention in exchange for a few thousand dollars to pay for college or student loans.

AmeriCorps is one of several programs that the White House considers part of Clinton’s presidential legacy. This year’s class numbers a record 40,000. Clinton asked for $546 million for AmeriCorps in fiscal 2000; the House voted to eliminate it. A compromise was reached with the Senate to fund AmeriCorps at $439 million.

Republicans in Congress repeatedly have tried to kill AmeriCorps, despite its popularity with governors and others in their party.

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) says the desire to kill AmeriCorps lingered because of the “incredible dislike some people have” for Clinton; they don’t want to embrace something widely viewed as one of his pet projects.