Tom proposes the largest peacetime expansion of national public service in American history.

For the last several years, Tom has traveled around the country, listening to young people talking about the future of this nation. Many are ready to roll up their sleeves and join the millions of others who have answered the call to tackle the challenges we face both at home and abroad. Tom’s New National Service Plan will channel this energetic spirit toward building communities that are more secure and resilient by:

  • Passing an updated Serve America Act in the first 100 days as president
  • Expanding the living allowance and educational benefits
  • Investing $50 billion and increasing yearly participation to one million positions by 2025

Meet the Challenges Facing Our Nation and All of Humanity

Tom will scale participation in existing programs, such as AmeriCorps and Peace Corps, and create a new Civilian Climate Corps to meet these pressing needs. Tom will work with public and private partners to address challenges in public health, poverty reduction, the opioid crisis, the criminal justice system, education, climate change, aging with dignity, conservation, and other urgent local needs in thousands of communities, urban and rural, domestic and international.

National Service Programs That Support Communities

As president, Tom will help communities develop solutions to the challenges they face by bolstering national public service to historic levels — one million positions by 2025 and one million per year thereafter. His plan will expand eligibility requirements, so people with diverse immigration statuses can serve in domestic programs.

Many Benefits Offered Through National Service

Tom’s plan will allow corps members to serve longer terms of up to five years, and enhance the living stipend to be more in line with local economic standards. These changes will benefit communities by providing them with more experienced staff and give participants greater opportunities for professional growth, upward mobility, and financial security. Participants who serve a total of five years could also see all of their student loan debt forgiven under Tom’s plan.