The DOGE Impact Tracker
The human toll of Trump-Musk's 'efficiency' initiative
Just Miles From White House, DOGE Hits After-School Program for Low-Income Families
After DOGE canceled almost $400 million in AmeriCorps grants, the free after-school program Aspire Afterschool Learning in northern Virginia had to lay off teachers and said it would be forced to serve as many as 50 fewer students per year, reports The Washington Post:
[Andrew] Gelsinger sat in the classroom with his students, some of them weeping, as they were told they would not be able to come back to Aspire Afterschool Learning to start their homework, grab a snack or play volleyball.
Just a few days later, Gelsinger’s bosses tapped into surplus funds to bring him and most other teachers back through the summer. How much the nonprofit’s budget could stretch after that, though, was uncertain…
The Arlington parents who send their children to the nonprofit — at no cost — are the nurses, day laborers and janitors who make this community function for everyone else. Many of them can’t afford tutors or summer camps. In some cases, recently arrived immigrant parents rely on Aspire’s teachers to help their children pick up English.