Pete Buttigieg’s Plan Would Triple the Ranks of Public Service & Combat Climate Change and Mental Health Problems

Pete Buttigieg called for expanding service organizations like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, and adding new ones focused on combating climate change, treating addiction and more.

The New York Times reports: “His plan calls for expanding existing national service organizations like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps and also adding new ones focused on combating climate change, treating mental health and addiction, and providing caregiving for older people. The new programs would prioritize bringing volunteers into predominantly minority communities and rural areas.”

Buttigieg plans to more than triple the size of current public service programs to 250,000 in the near term, and to one million by 2026.

For men and women who perform a year of service, Mr. Buttigieg’s proposal would credit that time toward student debt relief offered under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which assists those who work for government or nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Buttigieg said his overarching goal was for public service to become a norm in the United States, and that when someone finishes high school, they would be “expected” — but not required — to serve for at least one year in some capacity. Eventually, he said, the first question posed to any job candidate or college applicant would be, “What did you do with your time in service?”

While other Democratic candidates, like Senator Elizabeth Warren, have built their campaigns around detailed policy proposals, the service program expansion is among the first plans Mr. Buttigieg has announced.