In a letter Tuesday, Tschetter said the Peace Corps doesn't anticipate that its funding bill will pass during this session, so the agency is trying to work within its current budget. It is also facing an estimated $8.7 million loss in fiscal year 2008 from the weakening dollar, and the tight budget could decrease the number of volunteers worldwide by up to 5 percent, or 400 people.
Peace Corps to close Minneapolis office
Peace Corps to close Minneapolis office
The agency said budget issues and a new recruiting method are behind the move. U.S. Rep Betty McCollum and others in Congress are asking officials to reconsider.
By EMILY KAISER, Star Tribune
Last update: July 23, 2008 - 11:43 PM
Featured comment
WASHINGTON -- Three weeks before the Peace Corps' Minneapolis office celebrates its new home with an open house, the agency is already planning to shut the doors.
Citing budget concerns and a new recruiting method, the Peace Corps has announced plans to close its Minneapolis and Denver offices at the end of the year. The decision has outraged several members of Congress from Minnesota, including Rep. Betty McCollum, who called for the program to reexamine the cuts.
The Peace Corps, which sends volunteers worldwide on two-year stints, currently has 11 regional offices. Closing two would save $1.5 million and eliminate at least three of the 14 staff positions in those offices. Minneapolis' operations would be merged into Chicago's.
McCollum, a Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, sent a letter Monday to Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter when the closures were announced after the committee approved the president's $343.5 million budget for the agency.
"It is my goal to see a growing number of highly qualified, diverse and determined Americans of all ages committing themselves to serve our country as Peace Corps volunteers," McCollum said. "This plan to close the Minnesota and Colorado recruitment offices raises considerable questions about the Peace Corps' future direction."
The Minneapolis office, which moved to a new space this summer, recruits volunteers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota. Colleges in the region are traditionally among the top schools in providing volunteers.
In a letter Tuesday, Tschetter said the Peace Corps doesn't anticipate that its funding bill will pass during this session, so the agency is trying to work within its current budget. It is also facing an estimated $8.7 million loss in fiscal year 2008 from the weakening dollar, and the tight budget could decrease the number of volunteers worldwide by up to 5 percent, or 400 people.
