NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission wants to turn America's 250th birthday celebration into the country's single biggest year for volunteering.
But America Gives, the program unveiled Wednesday just before the U.S. begins commemorating the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence, will have to revitalize a culture of service that has recently waned. Declining volunteering rates still haven't returned to pre-pandemic levels. Just 28% of Americans said they volunteered time to a religious or secular charitable organization this year, according to a December AP-NORC poll.
Organizers don't know how many service hours they need to set the record and aren't targeting a specific number. The idea is to leverage nationwide reflections on the country's direction to encourage lasting community involvement that will strengthen nonprofits' volunteer pipelines beyond 2026. Funding comes from congressional appropriations as well as corporate sponsors including Walmart and Coca-Cola.
Participants are invited to pledge their time and log volunteering on an online tracker. Nonprofit partners include Girl Scouts of the USA, which will offer a volunteering badge to any of its roughly 1 million youth members who complete a service project, and Keep America Beautiful, which is leading efforts to clean up 250 million pieces of trash by the Fourth of July. JustServe — a service project coordinator sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — is sending 250 semitrucks to deliver food donations to 250 food banks across the 50 states.
“We strongly believe that this is as much about the future as it is the past," said America250 Chair Rosie Rios, who oversees the nonpartisan commission created by Congress to organize the anniversary. “Especially this next generation, we want them to give them something to believe in.”
That forward-focused goal requires courting a demographic that many nonprofits struggle to reach: young volunteers.
About one-quarter of adults under 30 said they volunteered their time to charity or provided non-financial support to people in their community in the past year, according to a March AP-NORC poll, compared with 36% of those over 60.
Rios said America Gives is working with high schools, many of which already list community service as a graduation requirement, to ensure those volunteering hours are logged and build giving habits that continue after students' secondary education.
“They’re very passionate. They’re very purpose driven. They do want to give back," Rios said, adding that “inspiring them to not just visualize, but maybe fuel their own future, is a big priority for us.”
Service could be an opportunity to meet younger generations’ desire for in-person connections. Sofia Alvarez — a cohort lead for the Youth250 Bureau, a separate effort to center Gen Z perspectives throughout next year’s programming — said young people want “third spaces.” That means somewhere outside of home, school or work that feels “safe,” she said, but doesn’t require spending money.
“I think any sort of craft or activity that really helps people connect, where they can chit chat and bond with each other, really builds that sense of community,” Alvarez said.
Sarah Keating, vice president of Girl and Volunteer Experience at Girl Scouts of the USA, said they’ve had to make their volunteer opportunities more manageable.
Young people want to give back, Keating said, but they are busy and don’t know how. She said nonprofits must offer experiences “that match their lives.” Someone might not have time to lead an entire troop, for example, but they can help lead a specific badge program.
“A campaign like this shines a light on the multitude of ways that you can volunteer — that it doesn’t have to be whatever stereotype you have in your head,” she said of America Gives. “There are small ways to volunteer. There are big ways to volunteer.”
The patriotic appeal must also overcome extreme polarization and the slow erosion of national pride — trends that America Gives organizers believe they can counter with their call to action.
Acknowledging political divisions, Rios said the commission's research shows that most Americans want to bring back a spirit of volunteerism.
“It is about one country," she said. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of people who feel like now, more than ever, we all need to stand up.”
Keep America Beautiful CEO Jennifer Lawson expects her nationwide nonprofit network to unify people around the bridge issue of litter. Her benchmark next year is to reach 4 million volunteers through local chapters devoted to cleaning up their communities, planting trees and making gardens.
Lawson wants the volunteer opportunities to show people patriotism is an action — not a concept — that involves working with your neighbors.
“It doesn’t have to be all flags and tricornered hats," Lawson said. "Patriotism in this country is an act of giving into community.”
America Gives will engage volunteers beyond July 4th in an attempt to build up the habit of giving back. Volunteers who register their service hours can enter a sweepstakes where 250 randomly selected winners will get to donate $4,000 to an approved nonprofit partner.
The program also plans to rally people around the national days of service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and 9/11. The year-round goal will be to keep things as local as possible.
“It should be on people’s minds all the time, not just the day that they’re doing service," Rios said. "But how do they plan ahead to keep it going?
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and non-profits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
FILE - America250 chair Rosie Rios speaks during an event to mark the launch of the "Our American Story" oral and visual history project ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026, on the National Mall, Monday, July 28, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein,File)
President Donald Trump said Thursday Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general.
Trump in a social media post named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as the acting attorney general, though three people familiar with the matter have said he has privately discussed Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a permanent pick.
It marks the end of a contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.
Here is the latest:
Bondi struggled to overcome early stumbles over the Epstein files that angered conservatives eager for government bombshells about the case.
She also had fed the conspiracy theory machine with a suggestion in a 2025 Fox News Channel interview that Epstein’s “client list” was sitting on her desk for review. The department later acknowledged that no such document exists.
Bondi was ridiculed over a move to hand out binders of Epstein files to conservative influencers at the White House only for it to be later revealed that the documents included no new revelations. Despite promises that more files were going to become public, the Justice Department in July said no more would be released, prompting Congress to pass a bill to force the agency to do so.
The Justice Department’s release of millions of pages of Epstein files did little to tamp down criticism, prompting a House committee to subpoena Bondi to answer questions under oath.
“This is not about a single person; it is about a government and judicial system that has repeatedly failed Epstein survivors,” one of Epstein’s earliest accusers, Annie Farmer, said in a statement.
“Regardless of who holds power, survivors deserve accountability, transparency, protection from retaliation, and assurance that those who enabled Epstein, Maxwell, and others will be investigated and, if appropriate, prosecuted,” Farmer said.
Robert Glassman, an attorney for a woman who testified as “Jane” in the 2021 criminal trial of Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, noted that leaders of government agencies change.
“But for victims of sexual abuse, what matters is whether the institutions meant to protect them actually do their job,” Glassman said by email.
Gloria Allred, an attorney for numerous Epstein victims, called Bondi’s departure “long overdue,” saying the now-departing attorney general betrayed them by failing to protect personal information in the files.
“She has destroyed the trust in the DOJ that victims had a right to expect, and her termination may be the only type of justice that survivors will receive from the DOJ,” Allred said by email.
Jess Michaels, an Epstein survivor who traveled to the Capitol last year to press for the files’ release, wanted Bondi gone, but she wasn’t optimistic about what comes next at DOJ.
“I’m happy that she is not in charge of this investigation anymore because she obviously failed. Do I think that the next person put in charge, Todd Blanche, is going to do any better? We can only hope. But given that they worked together, I don’t have great expectations,” Michaels said.
When Bondi became attorney general and pledged transparency, Michaels thought, “Well, maybe a woman stepping into this role will finally finally get the truth,” she recalled.
But once Bondi distributed now-infamous binders that proved to be largely rehashes of already public material, Michaels lost faith. Her mistrust was amplified by the DOJ’s problematic handling of the eventual release of a trove of documents.
“I think she had this opportunity to be a hero and to really do right by survivors of sexual violence and trafficking, and she chose not to,” Michaels said by phone. “It is outrageous, the volume of miscalculation she has made.”
Trump picked Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to be acting attorney general, but three people familiar with the matter have said he has privately discussed Zeldin as Bondi’s permanent replacement.
Zeldin, before Trump tapped him to lead the environmental agency, was a Republican congressman from New York. A staunch ally of the president, he worked on Trump’s defense team during his first impeachment and voted against certifying Trump’s 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.
Under his leadership, the EPA has rolled back climate change regulations and proposed including microplastics and pharmaceuticals on the list of drinking water contaminates.
Fields said Pam Bondi’s firing was “deeply troubling — not because of who is leaving, but because of why.”
Fields said in a statement that he has been critical of Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files but “here is what should alarm every American: reports indicate that Trump’s frustration stemmed not from Bondi’s failure to uphold the law — but from his belief that she didn’t weaponize the Justice Department aggressively enough against his political enemies.”
He said politically motivated cases against former FBI-Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James had been thrown out.
“The Justice Department is not the President’s personal law firm and shouldn’t be used as a tool for retribution.” Fields said the issues of the files and the independence of the department should be addressed before anyone else is confirmed.
The Kentucky Republican previously broke with his party to push legislation forcing the release of the Epstein files, and accused Bondi on X in January of making “illegal redactions and withholding key documents.”
On Thursday, Massie said on X that he supported Trump’s decision, adding that “I hope the next AG will release all the Epstein files according to the law and follow up with investigations, prosecutions, and arrests.”
Bondi released a statement Thursday, which read:
“Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration.
Leading President Trump’s historic and highly successful efforts to make America safer and more secure has been the honor of a lifetime, and easily the most consequential first year of the Department of Justice in American history.
Since February 2025, we have secured the lowest murder rate in 125 years, secured first-ever terrorism convictions against members of Antifa, shattered domestic and transnational gangs across the country, taken custody of more than 90 key cartel figures, and won 24 favorable rulings at the Supreme Court.
I remain eternally grateful for the trust that President Trump placed in me to Make America Safe Again.”
Democrats in Congress were celebrating the firing of the attorney general, whose appearance on Capitol Hill often featured bitter exchanges with Democratic lawmakers. But they also said that new leadership alone would not be enough to halt the Trump administration’s efforts to remake the Department of Justice to do his bidding.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement that under Bondi’s leadership, the Justice Department “has lost centuries of professional experience, willfully violated federal law and judicial orders alike” and added that her firing is “not enough to restore the credibility of the Justice Department.”
Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that Bondi’s “legacy will be the weaponization of the world’s preeminent law enforcement agency for Donald Trump’s personal benefit, but apparently even she didn’t go far enough to appease him.”
The Republican had only nice things to say about Bondi in an emailed statement, noting a drop in violent crime during her tenure and her Justice Department’s responsiveness to congressional oversight requests.
“The Judiciary Committee stands ready to advance President Trump’s next Attorney General nominee,” Grassley said.
The attorney general was facing a subpoena to appear before the House Oversight Committee on April 14 as lawmakers look into how the Department of Justice handled the release of the case files on Jeffrey Epstein.
The chair of the committee, Rep. James Comer, said in a statement that he would survey Republicans on the committee on whether they still wanted to enforce the subpoena.
Democrats quickly called on the committee to follow through on the subpoena. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, said in a statement that Bondi “will not escape accountability and remains legally obligated to appear before our Committee under oath.”
Bondi was subpoenaed last month to appear before the Republican-led Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and face questions over the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and release of the related files.
Mace, who sits on the committee, said in a statement Thursday that Bondi “will be appearing” in two weeks because the “DOJ still hasn’t complied with the Epstein Files Transparency Act.”
Past attorney generals generally took pains to maintain an arm’s-length distance from the White House to protect the impartiality of investigations and prosecutions.
But Bondi postured herself as Trump’s chief supporter and protector, praising and defending him in congressional hearings and placing a banner with his face on the exterior of Justice Department headquarters.
She called for an end to the “weaponization” of law enforcement that she said occurred under the Biden administration, though her critics said she was the one who had politicized the agency to do the president’s bidding.
The Justice Department’s review and release of Epstein files frustrated members of Congress, who accused the department of hiding certain documents, over-redacting files and, in other cases, failing to redact sensitive information about the victims.
The department denied that it redacted documents in order to protect people and that it improperly withheld certain material. Still, it caused a series of headaches for the Trump administration.
“Thank you to President Trump for the trust and the opportunity to serve as Acting Attorney General,” Blanche wrote in a post on X, after saying that Bondi led the department with “strength and conviction.”
“We will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law, and doing everything in our power to keep America safe,” Blanche said.
Blanche is a former federal prosecutor who worked as Trump’s criminal defense attorney in two cases brought by the department under President Joe Biden’s administration.
He was also a key figure on the president’s defense team in the hush money case against Trump in New York.
Blanche became second in command behind Bondi at the Justice Department last year.
“We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, after saying she’s been a “loyal friend.”
Trump said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace, in response to earlier reports that President Donald Trump was considering ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi, said in a statement Thursday: “I welcome it.”
“Bondi handled the Epstein Files in a terrible manner and seriously undermined President Trump,” said Mace in the statement, whose long been critical of the justice department over the release and review of the Jefferey Epstein files.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that Pam Bondi is out as his attorney general, ending the contentious tenure of a loyalist who upended the Justice Department’s culture of independence from the White House, oversaw large-scale firings of career employees and moved aggressively to investigate the Republican president’s perceived enemies.
The announcement follows months of scrutiny over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation that made Bondi the target of angry conservatives even with her close relationship with Trump. She also struggled to satisfy Trump’s demands to prosecute his political rivals, with multiple investigations rejected by judges or grand juries.
The former Florida attorney general came into office last year pledging that she would not play politics with the Justice Department, but she quickly started investigations of Trump foes, sparking an outcry that the law enforcement agency was being wielded as a tool of revenge to advance the president’s political and personal agenda.
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FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks with reporters during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington, as Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
FILE - Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche meets with reporters in Washington, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
